An Apple A Day

An Apple A Day is a Newcastle grocer focused on fresh fruit, vegetables and practical wholefood shopping. Its main draw is a flexible box service: choose a small, medium or large seasonal box, select mixed produce or fruit-only or vegetable-only options, then add extras and arrange one-off, weekly or fortnightly collection or delivery. The Build Your Own Box option lets you choose the contents piece by piece, while the swaps system means you can replace items that do not suit your household.

Beyond the produce boxes, the store brings together wholefoods, Australian artisan products, local goodies, vegan and gluten-free options, plus chilled and frozen groceries. The website also promotes gift hampers containing house-made products, Newcastle goods, wholefood treats and fresh fruit. It is a useful setup for families wanting to simplify their regular shop, people trying to add more variety to their cooking, or anyone who would rather have fresh produce delivered than make an extra supermarket trip. Solo shoppers and smaller households can choose a smaller box, while larger boxes are available for households that go through more fruit and vegetables.

The business has a clear community-grocer identity. Founder Shereen began by buying fresh produce in bulk for her family and sharing it with friends from her back deck in 2016. What started with around 20 families grew during the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns, eventually moving from the back deck and a garage operation into a permanent store on Maitland Road in Tighes Hill. The website describes the premises as bright and airy, with a long-term place in the Newcastle community.

An Apple A Day also makes a point of accepting naturally imperfect produce rather than insisting on uniform shapes, and says it reduces unnecessary packaging by using paper bags and reusable cardboard boxes where possible. Its freshness guarantee promises a replacement or refund when fruit or vegetables are not fresh. There is no restaurant or café offering to suggest here: this is a produce-led shop and online grocer, best suited to stocking the kitchen, organising a recurring box, finding pantry staples or putting together a food hamper.