Who’s Who in 2022, Environment: Jacki Hinchey

To mark International Women’s Day 2022, Jacki Hinchey from Blue Dog Farm spoke of how she turned her farm into a thriving business, with her beef, microgreens and Really Fancy Salad now a staple on plates in homes and restaurants across the Moreton Bay Region and Brisbane.

By sharing her story, Jacki hoped to inspire the next generation of women to grow and consider a career as a farmer or producer.

About Jacki Hinchey

Having grown up on a sheep and cattle property in southwest Queensland, Jacki has always had a deep love and appreciation of the land.

After finding a career away from the farm, Jacki’s strong connection to the land drew her and her husband to the Mary Valley before they moved to Ocean View, where they reside today.

Jacki’s farm, named Blue Dog Farm, is in honour of her Blue Cattle Dog Tammy – a much-loved member of their family.

It was here Jacki began growing a vegetable garden for her family, which quickly turned her farm and produce into a thriving business.

Jacki realised she was growing more salad leaves than her husband and three children could consume, which prompted her to begin sharing the salad mix with families in her community.

She then established a farm gate stall, which grew in popularity through word of mouth.

Jacki’s salad mix, with its variety of colour and nutritional diversity, was then renamed by local families as Really Fancy Salad.

Today, Really Fancy Salad is a weekly staple on plates in homes and restaurants all over the Moreton Bay Region and Brisbane.

Jacki also farms Really Good Beef for those same plates too.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Jacki, along with other agricultural businesses across Moreton Bay Region, were concerned about how they would get their products from their paddocks to the plates of families.

Having heard of an idea of from Europe, Jacki spearheaded REKO - a digital farmers’ market which aimed to connect consumers directly with local-small scale producers, farmers and growers.

The idea was a similar concept to online dating and ordering fast food, where consumers could make their selections online and then drive to one convenient location on a certain day to pick up their goodies.

It was a lifesaver for at least 20 Moreton Bay Region businesses, which might have otherwise lost income and had their products go to waste.

Collaborating with other producers and creating a sustainable food chain is another passion of Jacki’s, which is evident in her role as the Moreton Bay Co-ordinator for the Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN) - a cluster that supports collaboration, accelerates innovation and drives trade locally and globally.