Local curry products feeding Tassie students and helping the poor

Tasmanian students participating in an ambitious and much-needed free school lunch program are helping impoverished students in Indonesia whenever they feast on curries made with ingredients from Kingston’s Island Curries.

Loaves and Fishes Tasmania buys curry powders and pastes from Island Curries at heavily discounted prices so children at 30 schools can enjoy quality meals each week.

The school lunch pilot is an initiative of School Food Matters, in partnership with the State Government, Education Department and Loaves and Fishes Tasmania which produces 7500 meals per week and delivers bulk fresh produce for selected schools to make their own lunches.

Island Curries founder, owner and operator Rob Mollross has been using some of the proceeds from his business to help orphans in Indonesia for the past 12 years.

Rob started Island Curries in 2007 because he couldn’t find commercial curry products he liked.

“I’ve always had a passion for cooking and had taken to making my own curry paste,” he said.

“I tried it out on family and friends who really liked what I was making, so I decided to take the plunge into business.

“I finally took redundancy from Telstra after 23 years and started Island Curries with a small business grant from the Federal Government.

“I’m proud and excited to know that my products are going to feed Tasmanian school children healthy locally-made meals.”

Rob, who sources the best ingredients locally and from overseas, is a sole operator, working from a factory in Kingston.

Loaves and Fishes general manager Aaron Kropf said Island Curries made a superior product and was extremely generous in its pricing.

“Everyone involved in the school lunch program is committed to producing excellent food using the freshest and finest local ingredients wherever possible,” he said.

“We’re also looking forward to taking our staff down to Kingston to see Rob in action and learn what goes into making a great curry.”

By Paul O’Rourke