Some of you may recall the battle with Coles last year regarding stocking of Wallaby Flour. They stocked it for me up untill Xmas and now head office will not allow them to stock it any longer, despite their website stating that they will stock a product at a cusomers request and the flour is a stock warehouse item for Coles.
I have sent the following email to Sam Laucke at Laucke Flour Mills.
Att. Sam Laucke.
Hi Sam, you may recall some brief correspondence with me last year on the subject of Coles stocking Wallaby flour. After several months of restocking the flour they then stopped just prior to Xmas. Despite negotiations with the store, and Coles customer service dept, during which I pointed out their stated policy regarding customer request stocking, they are refusing to stock this product at their Lakehaven (Gorokan) store.
Apart from the principle involved, and my preference for an Aussie family company, I am refusing to buy their stocked "Defiance" flour on the basis that it is an inferior product both in respect to taste and protein level. This leaves me in the position of needing to buy direct from Laucke on-line. I have addressed this email to you to make you aware of the situation, but would appreciate a quotation from the relevant department for the regular (approx bi-monthly) purchase of 5 x 5Kg packs of Laucke Wallaby Bakers Flour, including the cost of freight.
Yours sincerely
Bill Flannery
Replies
That is too much a trouble ...forcing Coles to stock a certain flour
When I was still down under I never had problem with other brands .of Oz flour...Supposing it won't perform to my expectation I just have to fortify it with vital wheat gluten, sometimes add my diastatic malt or fungal amylase ()whatever is available and everything is fine with my breads including traditionally fermented sourdoughs......
Bill,
If you're buying flour your obviously baking again, welcome back! Glad your hands have recovered and the ten prong is coming out of storage and wrangling dough into shape again.
Matthew
Update please Bill. What did Sam Laucke say?
Bill,
Does that include Bi-Lo stores as well (given they are essentially Coles).
I haven't been in there for a while.
Perhaps I will have to buy bigger bags from Bibina.
Carol
Update.
Have had no reply from Sam Laucke or Laucke in general. Will do a follow up email on Monday.