Meet the folks behind The Fruit shop, Walcha

Sophie and Ross Fletcher are best mates, business partners and a Tinder success story. Together they run a family farm and Walcha’s beloved Fruit Shop and Coffee Window. Here’s how their teamwork makes the dream work, from 4am daily.

Image Credit: Em Wollen Creative

Sophie

We met in 2017 on good old Tinder. I was travelling through Walcha with my family at the time and decided to show Mum how it worked. I swiped right on Rosco and haven’t looked back since. We hit it off instantly. Within the first 12 months we moved in together, bought a business and got a dog. As cliché as it sounds, we’re best friends and make a fantastic team!

The Fruit Shop had been on the market for over two years when we bought it – it would have closed its doors if we hadn’t stepped in. I’d previously owned wholefood cafes in Sydney for five years and, before that, was the business manager for a group of 24-hour gyms. So building a business, fresh produce and people were my thing. I’d been living in Walcha for just over two months when we decided to dive in and buy it. I knew that my experience, teamed with Rosco’s support and knowledge of the land, meant we could turn it into a thriving business – which we have.

Since taking on Ross’ family farm, our days have gotten even busier, too. But Rosco is our muscle, fill-in fruiterer and barista when we’re short. When I’m not in the shop tackling the bookkeeping, rosters, wages, ordering and sourcing new products, you’ll find me in the paddock learning about all things sheep. I grew up on a cattle and cropping farm, so sheep are still a new thing to me, but I’m getting there.

I’m incredibly grateful for our store manager Al Rossington – we certainly couldn’t keep this good thing going without her! It can be challenging at times. These days I’m up at 4am to get into the shop, start cooking and restock produce before opening at 6.30am. Rosco swings by for a quick coffee (and a kiss!) after the daycare drop-off, before heading back to the farm. I’ll stay in the shop until daycare pick-up, then home or out into the paddock. Rinse and repeat. It can be hard – especially when drought, bushfires and COVID-19 are thrown into the mix. But we’ve also had so many highlights.

We opened our Coffee Window in the first 12 months of trading and that’s been an absolute game changer for the business. We’ve grown year on year and have recently purchased our building and renovated and expanded into the tenancy next door. Our ability to pivot and adapt to what’s going on in our community and the world, all while improving our business, is a huge highlight for us.

To see our customers coming in and thanking us for being here – that’s what makes it all worth it. I couldn’t imagine doing any of it without Ross by my side. He’s strong, loyal and funny – without a doubt my best friend and so much more. Boy am I glad I swiped right.

Ross

We’re one of those rare Tinder success stories. Soph was in town with the family and, lucky for me, swiped right. We hit the ground running, that’s for sure. Buying The Fruit Shop was a big call, but it was the right one. The business had been a staple in the Walcha community for over 30 years and we didn’t want to see the town lose its access to fresh produce.

Soph’s got a tonne of experience in building businesses from her Sydney days, so once we sat down to have a proper look at the business and talk about taking it on together, we knew we could do it. Since we’re not the type to walk away from a challenge, we’ve also taken over my family farm in the past couple of years. So these days our roles overlap across the two businesses.

Luckily we have an absolute legend of a store manager who handles the day-to-day of the shop, giving Soph the chance to focus on the business. Although, nine times out of 10 you’ll also find her on the coffee machine – she’s incredibly particular about our coffee.

Sure it’s been tough at times, I try not to think about the drought. We rode that wave from both a retail and an agricultural standpoint, so that was a huge challenge. Then of course came the bushfires, floods and COVID-19, and we had to pivot to survive, but we did it together as a team.

The fact that it’s become a social hotspot gives us both great joy – to see people smiling and chewing the fat with folks from all over. It makes us so happy to drive around the corner and see people packed onto the sidewalk enjoying coffee, toasties and socialising. When travellers in particular comment on how great the shop is, my heart swells with pride. Because I know it's all the hard work and energy Sophie puts into The Fruit Shop. She is strong, loving and incredible. I’m so lucky to be her husband, business partner and best friend.