Local businesses are pleading with Australians to shop locally during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australian cultured butter company Pepe Saya lost 80 percent of their wholesale business overnight when coronavirus arrived on our shores.

Co-founder Melissa Altman told Deborah Knight “we had to think on our feet”.

“It stemmed a lot of uncertainty because we hadn’t experienced anything like this before.”

After experiencing these setbacks, Pepe Saya’s founders decided to launch ‘Aussie Artisan Week’ to encourage people to shop local, buy Australian produce, and support small businesses.

“One of the biggest challenges for small producers … [is] they have a very hard time getting into stores.

“So the idea is … just raising awareness for everybody, [to] go local, think about your local community … think about who makes food in your local area and just support them.”

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Aussie Artisan Week is August 17–23

Image: Getty