Have a peachy time before Christmas

The long-awaited return of Peachs Torquay is finally here.

Peachs Torquay will re-open their doors today (Thursday, December 14) at 9am with a grand opening event and specials, including giveaways, tastings and complimentary Ocean Grind coffee, running until Sunday.

On January 23, the popular family-owned Surf Coast local produce and fruit market was destroyed by fire, causing more than $1 million in damage. The blaze started in the shop about 11.45pm, caused by a faulty evaporative cooler inside the Surf Coast Highway store.

Owners Graeme, Luanne, Larni and Jud have worked tirelessly over the past 10 months to resurrect their dream with the support of hundreds of locals who have rallied behind them.

Graeme and Luanne’s daughter Larni said the family was very proud of the shop that’s been rebuilt but were absolutely devastated at the time of the fire.

“We were heartbroken. We looked on the positive side after the tragedy though to try to build a better store than we had,” Larni said.

“We travelled and researched new products, new equipment and for new ideas.

“The support and motivation the community has given us is incredible, it majorly contributed to us rebuilding our business.”

The team at Peachs would like to thank the Torquay CFA and surrounding fire brigades, Torquay SES and Torquay Police for their amazing support on the night of the fire, and Mick Gleeson from Elders Insurance and Bridget Jacoby (their landlord) for their continued encouragement and backing throughout this stressful time and rebuilding phase.

They would also like to say a very special thank you to Dylan and Phil from Torquay Homes, along with their associated businesses for getting them back up and running in record time.

“Torquay homes and all the tradesmen involved have been nothing short of amazing, nothing was ever too hard,” Larni said.

“The hardest part was waiting so long for the go-ahead to rebuild, but once Torquay Homes got the okay, they have blown our expectations out of the water.

“We would also like to say a big thank you to our fit-out builders, Jack Chafer and Josh Wylie (Wylie construction); if it wasn’t for them we don’t know where we would be!”

The new store will feature more car parks, local produce, a dedicated organics section, a huge floral section and a kid’s area.

Along with their range of carefully selected fruit and vegetables, customers will discover specialty items including deli, pantry, dairy and take-home meal options. Peachs will now be offering a range of locally sourced wines and beers from boutique producers too.

“We can’t wait for our customers to come in and see our amazing new products, meet our amazing new staff and check out our amazing new shop,” Larni said.

“The best part about re-opening has to be seeing all our customers again. We’re hoping they love what we have done as much as we do.”

Peachs regular opening hours are Monday-Sunday from 8am-6pm, located at 132 Surfcoast Highway, Torquay.

For more information, head to peachstorquay.com.au or facebook.com/PeachsTorquay.