turning a corner
Access to an ample supply of safe, nutritious food is something many of us take for granted. But not Alice Mahar. The Melbourne-based social entrepreneur knows that food security isn’t always a given – for many communities, it’s something that must be fought for through a combination of food, climate and economic justice.
Alice’s non-profit, The Corner Store Network, works to address the interlinked issues of food security, malnutrition and climate change both in Timor-Leste and Australia. Projects span sustainable farming, direct-trade coffee and reforestry, but it’s her latest innovation, micro preservation hubs, that have caught the attention of both the Foundation for Young Australians and the Obama Foundation.
Described as a “social enterprise in a box”, a micro hub is a shipping container that’s been modified to house a commercial kitchen capable of preserving, pickling, drying and jarring fresh produce to extend its shelf life and reduce waste. Working closely with her mother Kathy, brother Jake and father Andrew – himself a social entrepreneur and recipient of the Order of Australia for his contribution to
