Our Team

Ayan

Carlton & Flemington Market Assistant

Ayan Shirwa is passionate about cultivating safe and supportive environments where the community feels seen and heard. Ayan recently completed a Community Service IV course and is excited to use her new found knowledge to create enriching experiences for the community. Ayan’s favourite fruit is mango.

Carley

Pakenham Market Assistant

With a background in Nutrition and Dietetics, Carley has always been a big food lover and is all about sharing the joy food can bring to the table. After her placement with The Community Grocer, she has now found her way back to the team and is excited to use her knowledge and give back to the community. Grapes are her favourite fruit, with broccoli being her top pick for vegetables. 

Cass

richmond Market assistant

Cass is passionate about local food systems and how social connection is created by breaking bread together. As a Fitzroy local Cass has been shopping at The Community Grocer since its inception. The relationships made at the market have led to employment opportunities in local food programs and, a deep-rooted connection to community. Cass’s favourite fruit is Mango and her favourite veg is Beetroot! You really can't beat a beet!

Courtney

melton Market Assistant

Courtney had recently graduated from a Bachelor of Nutritional Science and Master of Dietetics. She has always been passionate about using nutrition to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. After completing her dietetics placement at The Community Grocer, she fell in love with their approach of providing nutritious, affordable, and culturally safe food to communities. She looks forward to connecting with customers at the market each week. Courtney’s favourite fruit is a kiwi and vegetable is a potato.

Georgia

CEO

Georgia’s background is in public health and community development. In 2012 she discovered a new passion for food (selling it, growing it, eating it!) and saw first hand its ability to connect community in meaningful ways. Georgia was in fact one of the first employees at The Community Grocer way back then. In the years since, Georgia has built her experience running operations for a number of not-for-profit organisations and has sat on Boards for Farmer Incubator, The Community Grocer and the Gordon Farmgate (where she lives in Western Victoria). Georgia’s favourite vegetables are from the brassica family - broccoli and kale, which grows perfectly in the cold climate where she lives.

Hannah

fitzroy & richmond market manager

Hannah has always loved food - growing, eating, and cooking it - and gets particularly excited when food systems can bring people together and support environmental sustainability at the same time. As a recent graduate of Community Development, she hopes to work and learn in this space! Kohlrabi is one of Hannah’s favourite vegetables, and she always looks forward to the inundation of persimmons from her grandparents’ tree in autumn.

Kylie

Pakenham Market Manager

Kylie is passionate about building strong community connections through food and creating welcoming spaces where everyone feels included. With a background in sustainability and food systems research she is committed to supporting just and regenerative futures. Her favourite fruit is a tomato and her favourite vegetable is the humble spud.

Liana

Melton Market Manager

I am a recent graduate from a Double Bachelor of Exercise Science and Nutrition Science and through my degree, fell in love with nutrition and found a passion for finding ways to make healthy and nutritious food accessible for all. For me, food has been at the heart of family gatherings and always used as a way to express love and connection with others. I love to try new things while bettering both my health and inspiring others to do the same! Choosing a favourite fruit or vegetable is a challenge, for fruit I would have to say mangoes, and I enjoy any kind of bean, with an honourable mention to mushrooms (even though they're technically fungi!) and am open to trying anything I haven't before.

Mads

OPerations manager Carlton & FLEMINGTON Market manager

Mads is passionate about food security and sustainable food systems and has recently completed her Bachelor of Food and Nutrition Sciences. They believe nourishing food is important for more than just physical and mental health as it also has the ability to bring people together. Having grown up in Gippsland, Mads often enjoyed spending time helping out her parents in their big vegetable garden and trying out new recipes. Mads’ favourite fruit and veg are tangelos and eggplants but admits it’s hard to beat the good old fashioned potato in terms of versatility

Mon

Skills Building Manager

Mon’s love for food originates from their love for community. They have worked in community spaces, collaborating closely with young people, queer communities and people from migrant and refugee backgrounds on projects that work to platform their perspectives and foreground their agency. And while it hasn’t been a central part of their work, bringing people together over food - whether its with family, friends or community - is one of their favourite things to do. Mon’s favourite produce changes with the season, at the moment it’s neither fruit, nor veg - it’s the humble mushroom!

Roni

grocer gift coordinator

Roni’s favourite projects link equitable access to food with sustainable supply chains and involve diverse communities and cultures. She has worked in project development and management involving local council, community and health organisations, food hubs and small farms. She grew up in her family owned food manufacturing enterprise in Malaysia. Her favourite veg is kailan (chinese broccoli) and favourite fruit is papaya.