On the food producer trail in the Sunshine Coast

As showstopping as its natural assets are, the region is a food lovers' magnet for its rich repertoire of producers doing interesting things. From purveyors of organic meats to artisanal ferments and curry pastes, here are some of the best in the region, vetted by local Marion Grasby.

Marion Grasby loves cooking with local produce in her adopted home, the Sunshine Coast. Credit: Sippakorn Wongthanapa

With its subtropical climate, rich volcanic soil and sustainable fishing industry, the Sunshine Coast isn’t just a beautiful place to eat – it’s a living, breathing food bowl.

With wares that range from fermented condiments and ethical butchery to golden turmeric and curry pastes made from scratch, Sunshine Coast food producers are as diverse as they are exciting. Is it any surprise then that renowned chefs and foodies like Marion Grasby – who lives in Noosa – have decided to make this region their home?

Beyond optimal growing conditions, what defines the Sunshine Coast food scene is its community. There’s a shared ethos – of collaboration over competition, of doing things slowly, traditionally, and with care. Whether you're a chef sourcing flavourful ginger or a home cook seeking wild-fermented miso, the relationships between maker and eater are refreshingly close.

The fertile landscapes of the Sunshine Coast hinterland provide the perfect environment for a thriving community of food producers. Source: Moment RF / Posnov/Getty Images

The best part is, you don't have to be a local to enjoy the region's bounty. You too can follow in Marion’s footsteps and find connection between producer and plate throughout the coast and hinterland.

Markets loved by locals

Weekends for most local foodies begin at the farmers markets, in Kawana and Noosa. Among the many providores at the market are effervescent Japanese couple Yuki Terasaka and Yuka Yamamura, who can be found selling their gut-loving miso and koji products. Crafted with biodynamic soybeans and grains from Slater Farm just across the NSW border and sun-dried Great Barrier Reef salt, their FermenStation products are each aged for a minimum of 12 months.

It's a purposefully slow method that reflects the pace of the region, which, in combination with the organic produce of the Sunshine Coast, is what lured the couple north to Noosa from Sydney five years ago. “Good waves and people smiling… and we can get really fresh food all the time,” says Yuka.

While Yuka swears by a cup or two of miso soup each day for her vibrant health, in Flavours of Heart and Home, Marion Grasby takes a decidedly innovative and delicious direction with their ferments by making salted miso caramel to drizzle over ice cream.

Credit: Marion Grasby

Organic produce is something food in the Sunshine Coast is often associated with. Highlighting the connection between ethical sourcing and flavourful home cooking, Eumundi Meats is another producer worth checking out – they have spent the past decade redefining what a local butcher can be, sourcing organic, free-range and pasture-raised meats including local chicken, premium pork and grass-fed and grass-finished beef.

Set within Belmondos Organic Market in Noosaville, it’s a trusted spot for those seeking clean, traceable protein – something increasingly in demand as more locals embrace health-focused lifestyles. “So many more people are into exercise these days and just eating clean and healthy,” says general manager Pascal Turschwell.

Where sustainability and authenticity are more than buzzwords

Rising interest in health is something that has also propelled Stretch Family Farms towards growth. In the foothills of the Glass House Mountains, three generations are putting deep care into the volcanic soil that feeds the ginger, turmeric and citrus here. After switching from passionfruit to ginger and turmeric around six years ago, James Stretch and his family are guided by a soil-first ethos. “Everything thrives if the soil is looked after,” he says.

Stretch Family Farm is a favourite of Marion Grasby's for their carefully grown ginger.

They grow their seed hydroponically in coconut husks, giving their crops the cleanest start possible, and are working toward a closed-loop farming system that relies less on external inputs. DIY compost teas and anaerobic microbe mixtures feed into the irrigation system, supporting a farm that also produces raw cold-extracted honey, Dorper sheep, and limes.

And, they have opened up their sustainable agriculture practices to visitors with adults-only yurt accommodation and popular farm tours – including immersive beekeeping experiences – onsite, to offer an open-door approach to food education. Once visitors understand what it takes for produce to make it onto the plate, it allows a deeper reverence for what’s being eaten.

Education is also key to the offerings of 24-seat Thai eatery, Samila Gaeng, one of the best restaurants in the Sunshine Coast. Behind the humble Maroochydore shopfront, what’s being plated up walks the line between elevated dining (co-owner and chef Adam Muscat cut his teeth at Longrain, Sydney) and dishes that taste as if they could have come from the best street vendor in Chiang Mai.

For some, Adam’s and his wife Ying’s food recalls imprinted travel memories, for others it’s more of an education. “We just thought we were going to serve some khao soi and papaya salad, and people were like, what's khao soi?” says Adam. “Where’s the spring rolls?”

Now open for just over 12 months, the menu has been refined, local seafood is championed in the warmer months, and regulars BYO from their home wine collection – even bringing their own glasses if needed, like one diner did on their first night of service.

A well-loved part of the local food community now, they are not just another restaurant – their from-scratch spice pastes are as much of a drawcard as their menu offerings.

The curry pastes from unassuming eatery Samila Gaeng are lgendary.

It’s yet another example of how Sunshine Coast food isn’t fast or trendy; it’s intentional.

Behind similarly unassuming facades dotted throughout the hinterland – often of coastal industrial estates – are other producers quietly rewriting the rules. At QCamel, the world’s only Certified Organic camel milk farm, visitors can meet the gentle herd and sample their famously nourishing milk. Nearby, Beachtree Distilling Co –First Nations owned and fiercely independent – crafts certified organic rum, whisky, and vodka, alongside award-winning gins that distil the essence of the region.

The one thread that ties together all these craft producers and providores is food that is grown, made and presented with a high level of integrity. Here, good food is all about connection, culture, and tasting what truly matters – soul.