Buy SA Week 2025 – What regional SA wants you to know
We’re gearing up for Buy SA Week. From July 31 to August 3, South Australians are encouraged to back local producers, buy SA-made goods, and feel good about keeping their dollars close to home. And honestly, what’s not to love?
It’s just that, well… in the words of Shannon Noll and his flavour-savour chin fluff, country South Aussies are wondering “What about me?”
Because if you look at the program, it seems most of the action is happening within a shopping bag’s throw of the Mall’s Balls. There are tastings at the Central Market, giveaways in Rundle Mall, and branded coffee carts at the footy. There’s even gonna be a bloke dressed as Mr Fruchoc doing laps of the city handing out precious parcels of chocolate-covered fruity goodness.
Meanwhile, out here in the regions – the places where a lot of these SA-made products are actually grown, baked, brewed and butchered, there’s barely a whisper.
Yes, a handful of regional events have snuck in – a stall in Port Augusta, a tasting in Nuriootpa, maybe a free sample if you’re lucky. But let’s not pretend this was ever a statewide rollout. This is an Adelaide event with a token country weekend.
I get it, though – it’s easier to run a promo in the middle of the city than organise something out in the bush. But if the goal is to support SA businesses, then that support needs to go beyond the suburbs. Because right now, regional communities are hurting. Hurting from drought and the devastating algal bloom, workforce shortages, cost of living, and being left out of this kind of shiny, city-focused campaign when we need the support more than ever.
But I take solace in the fact that regional communities have been walking the talk long before a fancy campaign got involved. We buy from our neighbours. We shop local – sometimes because it’s the only shop in town, and we don’t want to lose it. We know the local butcher, the winemaker down the road, the gift shop owner who wraps everything like it’s Christmas, and the baker who starts work before sunrise. And we back them – week in, week out, just like they back us.
So yeah, we’re glad Buy SA Week exists. It’s a good thing. But it could’ve been a great thing if it actually included the regions properly.
If you’re keen to discover some brilliant South Aussie businesses doing the hard yards in regional towns, check out our Harvesting Hope campaign. Last year, with the support of some generous sponsors, we shone a spotlight on the growers, makers, retailers and business owners who keep our regions thriving.
Jump to the search bar and punch in Harvesting Hope – you’ll find a treasure trove of stories and guides to help you buy SA, the regional way.
