Welcome to Humble Sampler Village
A community where small-scale food makers can thrive!
Join a welcoming community of food makers to build your food business!
When you join the Humble Sampler Village, you’re welcomed warmly by other food entrepreneurs who understand what it’s like to build and grow a small-scale food business like yours.
We want a world where community-minded, passionate, self-starter food makers from all different backgrounds can come together to develop their business skills, broaden their connections and learn from others on a similar path.
The Humble Sampler Village is a safe space for women, femmes, gender-nonconforming and non-binary folks from all backgrounds to have their voices heard. The Village centres these voices in everything we do.
We understand the barriers to building and growing your food business:
Startup costs
Red tape
Self-doubt
Overwhelm
The feeling of 'falling behind'
Loneliness
And the general busyness of life!
Through our research and feedback, we've built the Humble Sampler Village as a community-driven, human-first place to learn and grow.
What happens inside The Village?
We come together to:
Hear from food makers who have been working in their businesses for a few years – they’ll share how they faced challenges and what they did to get where they are now (monthly). Some founders featured so far: Poppy Smack, Zee Scott the Caterer, Charlie and the Carob Tree and Cooking with Koji.
Run through practical tools and resources to grow your knowledge of how to run a food business
Gather online for ‘Office Hours’ sessions, where you connect, reflect on your business, ask questions and set goals for the weeks ahead (fortnightly - Mondays at 11am)
Give you time to consolidate your learning and know-how.
Help you understand your purpose and why you started your business — this will carry you through the tough times. If you don’t yet know this, this is something we focus on regularly in the Village!
You’ll also hear from experts from inside the food industry and other experts in marketing, coaching, accounting and more.
Some of the benefits of joining include:
✔️ Saving time and energy by being able to ask the right people for advice, rather than searching for hours
✔️ Reducing the stress of the unknown of starting and growing a successful food business
✔️ Increasing your confidence - you’ve got this!
Best of all, you have a group of people cheering you on and supporting you to action your goals. You may not have a work team, but you’ll certainly have a Village supporting you through all the adventures (and misadventures!) of running a business.
Community intentions
The Village is a special place, and proud to be welcoming, friendly, supportive, encouraging and inspiring for all food makers.
The Village members who get good results are committed to working on their businesses and using the knowledge, skills and recommendations they get in the Village.
We believe that change and growth take time, hard work, an open mind and a willingness to reflect.
We respect people’s agency and choice and understand that everyone moves at their own pace. Business isn’t easy, and it isn’t for everyone.
Our commitment to equity
Humble Sampler Village has a commitment to equity. We centre the voices of historically marginalised folks:
Women of all different backgrounds, ages, abilities and religions;
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
People from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds;
Femme, gender-nonconforming and non-binary folks;
Humble Sampler Village is an LGBTQI+ friendly space.
Humble Sampler Village is a moderated space with zero tolerance for racism, ableism, ageism, sexism, genderism, sexual prejudice and religious intolerance.
Accessibility inside the Village
All of our catch-up calls are via Zoom
All Zoom calls are close-captioned
All Zoom calls with industry experts are recorded (with transcripts), so you can watch at a time that suits you. Office Hours calls are not recorded.
We provide transcripts of all Zooms. These are transcribed via Otter, an AI-enabled transcription program.
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any additional accessibility requirements. You can email us at [email protected].
Your Village Guides
Sherona (right) and Gloria (left) from Humble Sampler.
Sherona
Hi I’m Sherona from Humble Sampler. I assist small-scale food makers to thrive by providing business support, connection and market access opportunities while also advocating for more equity in the food business space. Most of my professional life has been in community development both in Australia and overseas, in the areas of livelihoods, food sovereignty and financial wellbeing. My love of people, travel and food has inspired the creation of Humble Sampler, where I aim to bring together all three elements and create an environment for food makers of all backgrounds to thrive!
Gloria
Hi, I’m Gloria from Humble Sampler. I’m an educator, political scientist, advocate, and migrant who is passionate about inclusiveness. My professional life includes humanitarian policy development and emergency response in Australia and overseas, working with refugee and asylum seeker communities. I love to hear about people reaching their full potential no matter their background or circumstances. I want to celebrate the diversity of the food business industry by using my skills and background to tackle barriers that exist for small scale food entrepreneurs.
We bring together community-minded, passionate, self-starters like you who’re just starting or growing your food businesses.
Here’s what our existing members tell us:
‘I really enjoy hearing from other Makers because I’m often surprised and reassured to hear that other people also face the same challenges I struggle through. It helps me feel like I’m not alone, especially as a solo business owner.’
Fern Ho, Founder of Flavour Pop
‘The Village has been a great support to me as an entrepreneur. It is a group of women led by Sherona and Gloria, who, with their business knowledge, help, support and guide those of us who are just starting out in the world of small businesses. I am very happy to be part of the Village and I invite you to join this wonderful network of support and empowerment.’
Marcela Fuenzaliza, Founder of Nice Surprise Breakfast
Our accessible pricing structure
We have a commitment to equity, which means that we have different membership fees based on your capacity at this time:
Supporter Membership
Approximately* AU$35 a month.
By purchasing this package, you will enjoy the full benefits of the Village membership, plus you will help pay it forward to cover the partial membership costs for a member that cannot afford it yet, and support operational costs.
Sustainer Membership
Approximately* AU$26 a month.
By purchasing this package, you will enjoy the full benefits of the Village membership while supporting the sustainable operation of the Humble Sampler Village.
Scholarship Membership
This scholarship provides a member with a reduced membership fee for a period of 6-12 months.
Subsidised members are expected to give back via their contribution to the Village and graduate to full membership as their business and abilities grow.
Applicants who come from First Nation’s backgrounds, migrant and refugee backgrounds, or are otherwise marginalised through no fault of their own will be favourably considered. You’ll find the scholarship application form HERE.
*Prices are charged in USD via our community program, Mighty Networks
