Avon River Farmhouse

By Prue & Anthony Cliff

Tasty Farmhouse home cooked meals, made with locally sourced produce direct from farm, connecting our farmers community

We chat to a busy ‘mumpreneur’ from Stratford, Prue Cliff who’s behind the Avon River Farmhouse, building awareness of farmhouse meal deliveries and connecting families with fresh local produce.

Startup Gippsland: Let’s get to it! How did you learn about Startup Gippsland and what was your first thought about it?

Prue: Startup Gippsland was a fantastic opportunity because it connects you with a like-minded group of people that are in the same boat as yourself on a startup journey so you can exchange ideas, talk about challenges, and get a different perspective from other people from other businesses that may not be in the same industry as yourself. You can get different ideas that will work for you. It is always hard at the beginning of the journey and especially when it gets really hard, there are people that can support you. I thought Startup Gippsland was great for networking. 

Startup Gippsland: Why did you want to join the program? What was the problem you were trying to solve?

Prue: I wanted to apply to the program for networking, the support and the expertise of people who are running the program, you’ve been there, you’ve done it, experienced it so we can gain knowledge from that.

I also wanted to incorporate local farmers food directly into meals and educating our customers where they can get local produce from thereby supporting the local community. Trying to connect the farmers more-so with the end consumer. When people live really busy lives, they don’t have time to investigate where to go to get their things, so if there’s a rural farmhouse and they get on a facebook page, their customer can find you that way and say: aww, I didn’t know it was there, they’re open on Sunday, lets go!

 

Startup Gippsland: What was your experience like in the 12 weeks of the program? 

Prue: …I*N*T*E*N*S*E

There is a lot of information to get through, but it also made you sit back and take the right step to minimise the expenditure before rolling out the idea. And sometimes your idea may change 180 degrees from where you started just by the tools that the program gave us to be able to analyse that. 

Startup Gippsland: What are the biggest benefits of you undertaking the program? Can you provide an example of how it worked for you?

Prue: Biggest benefit of the program is the networking and the support you receive. One example is now I’m getting into Work My Own Way program to continue on and building and growing the relationships I have to help me in my business. So my little business is done between 9 – 3pm because I’m a mum, after those hours it’s back to family life. 

Startup Gippsland: Have you discovered new or different users for your product/service, compared with original expectations? Are you still pursuing your original startup idea? 

Prue: …I’ve been through 360 degrees! For me it is about my startup idea to fit into my lifestyle. Joining up with other businesses i.e. Real Estate agencies, cleaning services companies and Airbnb owners to value-add and it has just opened up the whole whole new world.  

Startup Gippsland: What was your biggest success after undertaking the program? Personal or professional (or both)! 

Prue: Understanding of what I’m actually able to do and achieve in one day! Otherwise you just keep loading yourself up with things to do and quickly get overwhelmed. Something I focused on in the last few months was my time-management, looking exactly at what I do every day, how many hours I have in a day and what I can achieve in those hours, and not be too unrealistic on myself. 

Startup Gippsland: what was the most important skill you’ve learnt, and a realisation you’ve had during/after the program?

Prue: Probably to believe in yourself and just to have people around you that reinforce your idea that you are not crazy, that you have a good idea, work through the processes and hopefully the outcome should be good. I stay in touch with people who have been through the program, so the support continues. 

Startup Gippsland: Is there anything else you’d like to add? 

Prue: Visit our website www.avonriverfarmhouse.com.au and sign up to our news!

Testimonials

“Startup Gippsland is a fantastic opportunity because it connects you with a like-minded group of people that are in the same boat as yourself: you can exchange ideas, talk about challenges, and get a different perspective”

Prue’s mentor was…

KIETA CABRERA (VAN DER MEULEN)

Kieta Cabrera, Associate at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers 

Watch Prue’s Pitch

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