For Brehoni Renk, the simple belief that Australians should have an easier way to share what they grow in their own backyards sparked an idea.
Six and a half years later, the Perth business owner has poured around $300,000 into turning that idea into reality.
Incaberry is a free app designed to connect people with homegrown produce and, hopefully, with each other.
It comes as frustrated shoppers are increasingly turning their backs on major supermarkets, like Coles and Woolworths.
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Brehoni Renk has spent $300,000 building a free app designed to connect Australians through homegrown produce. Source: Supplied
‘Living in our own little bubbles’
Incaberry allows people to buy, sell and swap homegrown produce, including fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers, as well as preserves and baked goods.
But for Brehoni, the bigger idea was never simply creating another online marketplace.
She believes Aussie households have become increasingly disconnected from their neighbours, with many people living in their own “little bubbles”.
“We’ve become used to living in our own little bubbles — going to work, coming home, maybe knowing a few neighbours but not really having much of a connection with them,” she said.
Brehoni Renk hopes Incaberry can help Australians reconnect with their neighbours. Source: Supplied
“Social media has made us feel connected without genuinely connecting.”
Brehoni believes home growers are an “undersupported community”, with many producing more than they need but lacking an easy way to share it.
She hopes Incaberry provides a “permission slip” to connect — whether that means sharing spare lemons or flowers with a neighbour.
“I think that kind of connection has been lost, and a lot of people are craving it,” she said.
For Brehoni, the idea was so important that she quickly decided to turn it into a reality.
She said she was content with her life when the idea first came to her, but wanted to create something she could “stand behind 100 per cent”.
“I realised I’d found something I could stand behind completely, something that could make a real, positive impact on the world,” she said.
The leap from idea to action took just a week.
After researching whether something similar already existed, Brehoni couldn’t find a platform that offered the community connection she had envisioned.
“I knew I was at a crossroads: either commit fully to building it myself, or step back and wait for someone else to,” she said.
“I went all in, and once I was committed, there was no going back.”
Backyard connections made as diverse produce range offered
Some of the early interactions on Incaberry have shown Brehoni exactly what she hoped the platform could create.
One user told her they had bought “bum nuggets” — eggs — from a neighbour, which made her laugh.
Another user said they had made five connections in their neighbourhood within just a few weeks of using the app.
Brehoni has been excited by the diversity of produce growing nearby, including dragon fruit and medicinal plants.
One new father told her his wife was “literally celebrating” after discovering the app, following her search for local produce for their family.
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Brehoni said the response has reinforced her belief that Incaberry is creating something people genuinely want, with thousands of Australians now using the app and hundreds making connections through it.
“I’ve always known it was worth it, long before it appeared that way externally,” she added.
“Now it’s simply about creating that value for more people, helping more people to make these connections feel part of something bigger than themselves, share their produce, and connect over food.”
Incaberry is free for growers and buyers, with Brehoni saying the core mission of connecting communities and sharing produce will remain free as the business develops other revenue streams.
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