Spent beer grains, ugly fruit and old coffee beans might seem, at first glance, like odd things to throw into a morning treat.<\/p>\n
But in Western Australia’s South West, a German chef has made using ingredients \u2014 that would otherwise go to waste \u2014 a cornerstone of his business.<\/p>\n
“The name [of my shop] is German for ‘fallen fruit’, and that just encompasses the whole concept of the business,” Wilhelm Grothum said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I guess you could call this my waste HQ. I am all about minimising food waste.”<\/p>\n
The chef cooks with ingredients supplied from local farmers. (ABC South West WA: Kimberley Putland)<\/p>\n
The chef opened his store, Fallobst, at Bridgetown, 260 kilometres south of Perth, in 2023, with the idea that the food would incorporate elements of otherwise-unwanted ingredients.<\/p>\n
“It ranges from tomatoes in summer, at the moment we are using lots of citrus like oranges and lemons,” Mr Grothum said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although he is best known for his sourdough breads, the chef said he experimented with a variety of “ugly” produce.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I sometimes use spent beer grains from the local cidery, or coffee grounds \u2014 sometimes I cook chocolate and coffee-ground cookies,” he said.<\/p>\n
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The menu is constantly changed based on seasonality. (ABC South West WA: Kate Forrester)<\/p>\n
Childhood influence<\/p>\n
Having moved from Germany to Australia nearly two decades ago, Mr Grothum said his interest in tackling food waste started in childhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I moved here in 2006, but since then I have travelled the world, working on different farms,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“You can see [food waste] is a global problem.<\/p>\n
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Wilhelm Grothum experiments tirelessly before anything makes it onto his shelves. (ABC South West WA: Kate Forrester)<\/p>\n
“I always remember when I was growing up in East Germany, spending time with my grandparents out in their fields, helping them grow potatoes, feeding the livestock. I think it was then that I became aware of food waste.<\/p>\n
“It was a period when people thought twice about throwing things out, back then there was a value on that because people didn’t have a lot.”<\/p>\n
Wilhelm Grothum says he grew up with an agricultural background in Germany. (ABC South West WA: Madigan Landry)<\/p>\n
The chef said he hoped to see the food industry take greater action in addressing waste.<\/p>\n
“There needs to be more skills provided to the food industry in general, there needs to be more happening when it comes to food waste,” Mr Grothum said.<\/p>\n
“That’s why I am trying to give a bit of an insight into what is possible.”<\/p>\n
Shared solutions\u00a0<\/p>\n
Manjimup passionfruit grower Mitchell East supplied some of his surplus produce to the Bridgetown bakery.<\/p>\n
“He has made passionfruit vinegar, passionfruit-infused salt \u2014 it’s a good collaboration between like-minded people,” Mr East said.<\/p>\n
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Mitchell East has sent some of his waste to the German baker in the past. (ABC South West: Madigan Landry)<\/p>\n