Spotlight | May Volp, Full Circle Farm

8 Oct

Just another local, y’know, saving the planet…

Published on 8 October 2019
Photography by Morgan Smith

Let us introduce you to May Volp, the brains (and hands) behind Full Circle Farm. This Toowoomba native has partnered with a whole laundry list of local cafés – from Ground Up to Burrow – to turn their food scraps into compost. The crops she grows with the compost are then sold back to the cafés at a discount, as well as made available at local markets. It’s an ingenious system of small businesses working together.

We visited May at her Meringandan farm to learn more about the day of a market gardener, why she loves Toowoomba, and where she goes for the best eggs benny.

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First things first: why Toowoomba?

I grew up in Toowoomba. I moved around a little bit after school but something brought me back. As a passionate gardener and now grower, it’s a great area to live and work in. It is The Garden City after all.

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What is Full Circle Farms?

Full Circle Farm has two parts to it. Firstly, we work with businesses to divert compostable waste from landfill. We have collected roughly 20 tonnes so far that has been composted.

The second part is the farm itself where we use that compost to grow different specialty crops to be sold locally. We supply cafes and restaurants and we also hold market stalls for the general public. You can find me at the Cobb + Co Markets every Saturday morning.

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What have you learned about running a business in Toowoomba?

We have a strong community here that supports local businesses and, more specifically, local growers. I think people are more and more looking for food they feel connected to, which is hugely positive for our town.

What does an average day look like for you?

An average day for me consists of these tasks in some kind of order…

early morning harvesting and delivery
collecting coffee waste, food waste, paper and cardboard from local businesses
some serious composting!
farm jobs like making compost teas, weeding and planting (and snacking on veggies as I go!)

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