Providore is the retail arm of a Margaret River property: small-batch jams, olives from its own grove, coffee and drinking chocolate.
The olive grove at Providore is about 600 metres from the tasting centre, which is a fair measure of how short the supply lines are. Providore is the retail arm of a property in Margaret River, and much of what it sells starts on the property.
Olives from the grove are cold-pressed for oil. They also go into jars, flavoured with chilli and lemon or with garlic and rosemary. A half-acre vegetable garden supplies the on-site kitchen. There are beehives, kept for pollination and for honey, and free-range chickens for eggs. Jams, curds, chutneys, relishes and sauces are made by hand on site, in small batches.
The same property trades under several other names, among them Mount of Olives, Margaret River Coffee Company and The Margaret River Chocolate Company, so the Providore shelves run wider than preserves. There is an Injidup Blend of roasted coffee beans, sold whole, and a drinking chocolate range that goes from Classic through Caramel Chocolate and Mint Chocolate to Aztec Chilli.
The preserves are where the kitchen shows some nerve: plum turns up with lavender and black pepper in one jam. The savoury side includes an Italian Herb Seasoning, a Paella spice mix with saffron stems, and bottled pasta sauces such as Porcini Mushroom and Garden Herbs. For breakfast there is a Maple & Almond Toasted Muesli, and for a slow weekend pot, a wholegrain bean and lentil soup mix.
This is a larger operation than most of the makers in this guide, and it is set up for visitors, with shops, tasting centres and complimentary tastings. Check the maker's site before visiting. If you have been, you will probably recognise the jars. If you have not, the range is a fair picture of what one Margaret River property can put on a table.