This scoping study was partly aimed at discovering the broader picture. The goal was to immerse the researcher in data and findings and to direct the literature review and the second data collection phase. Thus, it is acknowledged that this data is not thought of as representative and can not be used to base generalisations upon.
The use of snowball and purposive sampling in selecting the vignettes aimed to demonstrate the diversity within the industry. One of the major drawbacks with
purposive and snowball sampling, which are both forms of non-probability sampling, is that there is an uncertainty as to the extent and the type of bias that are present
(Sullivan, 1992, p. 47). In confronting this weakness, the researcher has attempted to rid the scoping study of any potential bias by interviewing key informants from diverse backgrounds. Another area where potential bias could occur was in the scanning of documents (Kellehear, 1993). By collecting data using other research methods (e.g. interviews and visitations), rather than just the scanning of documents, “cross-
checking” for potential bias and inconsistencies was possible (Kellehear, 1993, p.62).
This section introduced how the research was conducted in the preliminary scoping study (i.e. data collection phase one). The research methods used; the type of data collected; and the sampling of participants were described. The following will introduce the cottage food industry in Tasmanian agriculture by presenting a series of vignettes that were developed.
Vignette 1: Palmara Vineyard
Palmara Vineyard is named after the initials of each member of the Bird family. The vineyard is “one of Tasmania’s smallest
vineyards and hands-on wineries” (The Sunday Tasmanian, 2003). The business produces approximately 250 – 300 dozen bottles of wine annually. Allan Bird grows, picks, maintains and processes all wines on-site.
Palamara is a part-time occupation for Allan Bird. After retiring from his electrical engineering business in 1979, the family (Allan, Margaret and their five children) decided to move to Hobart from northern Tasmania. Margaret has been a school teacher since the age of 16 and continues to teach today, while Allan has been the “supporting half of the family” since his retirement. After the shift, Allan worked at a local college as a technical aide and, after a few years of living in Hobart, they decided to move to some land.
At this stage, Allan had no intention of growing grapes and initially bought a couple of
Coal River Valley
100% Tasmanian Wine
The grapes are hand picked, immediately crushed, destemmed and fermented. Whole bunches are
added for increased complexity.
After pressing in our small bucket press, the new wine is matured in French oak
http://members.ozemail.com.au/%7epalmara/Index.html
http://members.ozemail.com.au/%7epalmara/Index.html the 1960s, Allan decided to give it a shot. Through trial and error, and a bit of advice, Allan eventually established his first plantings in 1984. In the early days of Palmara, Allan managed a local vineyard, in which he shared the crop, and this, he says, is where he got to practice and learn.
Palmara is on one of the prime tourist trails located in the wine growing region of the Coal River Valley. The wines are only sold through their own cellar door and, because it is a part-time occupation, Allan says that he is able to talk to the tourists that drop in, stating that “I enjoy the tourist side. I don’t regard it as work.” When Palmara opened as a cellar door in 1990, it was the only one in the Coal River Valley for approximately seven years, but today there are close to ten, which makes for a lot more competition. Allan is accredited by Tourism Tasmania as a quality tourist provider and is a member of the Vineyards Association of Tasmania.
In a good year, the business makes about $12,000 and Allan states that “you wouldn’t make a living like this.” Palmara’s business goal is not to grow in size, but to maintain the “current volume of sales in the face of ever increasing competition.”
…the thing about cottage industry wine making is that all your wines are individual, they’re not sort of stamped…what I find is from year to
year the wines are different and you could never pick up one of my bottles of Chardonnay and say that’s Allan Bird’s Chardonnay.
Allan and tourists at Palmara’s cellar door
Vignette 2: Tasmanian Highland Cheese
Tasmanian Highland Cheeses isowned by John and Jill Bignell. The business is located on the family’s farm at Thorpe Farm, Bothwell. Thorpe Farm was established in 1823 and John is a sixth generation Tasmanian farmer. Tasmanian Highland Cheeses produces approximately five to ten tonnes of goat and sheepcheese annually. Cheeses produced on the farm include Fresh, White Mould
and Hard Cheese. John suggests that his cheeses are distinct because they are
“farmhouse”, “artisan”, and simply because they are made from goat and sheepmilk.
John works full-time on the farm, whilst Jill is employed as a teacher. Thorpe Farm is
approximately 4,000 acres in total and, besides the cheese factory, produces wool, beef, cereal, strawberry runners, specialist vegetables (such as horseradish, wasabi) and old-fashioned rye flour (Tasmanian Highland Watermill).
John’s cheese making skills were gained when he was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship (an
agricultural exchange program for adults). Through the program, he studied English and