1962: An Organic Beginning
Back in 1962 Alan Druce, affectionately known as "Poppy Dru," made the outlandish step of converting his 3000 acre farm to organics. Hailing from the rural township of Ardlethan, you can imagine what his neighbours thought of such a radical change. As luck would have it, Poppy Dru was onto something, as the 1980’s saw a spike in demand for organic products with the introduction into major supermarkets. This change brought a wave of love for organic farming, and Poppy Dru proved himself to be quite the trendsetter!
As Luck Would Have It...
Poppy Dru’s youngest and only son, Neil Druce decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue organic farming, and the Green Grove farm took major leaps forward growing organic wheat and spelt. Then one day their small and trusty onsite mill broke, leaving Neil with a problem to solve. Neil went on the hunt for a flour mill to continue milling their products and stumbled on something truly extraordinary - he discovered an abandoned, five-storey flour mill just up the road in Junee, NSW.
1998: A Unique Vision
Neil was instantly taken by the character and charm of the old mill, built in 1935. His imagination soared. He knew it could become more than just a flour mill, and a BIG DREAM was born (get used to those)! In 1998, Neil purchased the building that had been abandoned for over 30 years and began the renovations. As a new resident of Junee, the locals in the pub definitely thought he was crazy when he shared his grand plans of creating a licorice and chocolate factory that would draw visitors from all over the globe.
Licorice: The Flour Connection
Naturally, with the renovations complete, we progressed to making licorice... wait, what? You may not know that flour is actually one of the main ingredients in licorice, so it seemed that the newly renovated flour mill had met it's perfect match. 2001 saw the installation of the licorice factory and to say the first batch of licorice went badly is an understatement. But that didn't deter Neil's passion for nailing the art of licorice-making, and he worked tirelessly until he had perfected every twist, texture, and taste.
2003: Junee Just Got Sweeter
In 2003, Neil decided to sprinkle a little magic into the mix, adding chocolate products onto the factory’s production line. It turned out to be a stroke of genius, as tourists began flocking to Junee, lured by our irresistible and mouthwatering chocolate creations. Who knew chocolate & licorice would go so well together? Always the family of trendsetters (thanks Poppy Dru), Neil's big dreams for the abandoned flour mill were all finally coming to fruition.
Where the Magic Happens
Fast forward to today, and we’re proudly producing licorice and chocolate five days a week and selling Australia wide and internationally. With a team of over 60 dedicated locals, we've transformed into a bustling hub of activity with guided tours, hands-on chocolate experiences, a licensed restaurant and live music to relax to in our alfresco dining areas.
It's a little slice of chocolate paradise in a beautiful part of Australia that's a must-see — and it all started because of a broken down old flour mill, on the Green Grove farm, in a rural town everyone forgets the name of...