A LACK of socially responsible milk has pushed Fresh on Charles owner Andrea Dawkins to sell the popular vegetarian hang-out after 14 years.
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Ms Dawkins put the business up for sale as a leasehold opportunity this week, prompted by a desire for change and a troubled conscience.
Ms Dawkins, who identifies herself as a plant- based eater, said she had found it increasingly difficult to find ethical dairy products and it weighed on her mind. "With eggs it's not so difficult as there are lots of free-range options now - but with milk, there's one dairy in Tasmania that takes a socially conscious response to raising a herd and they're a small business, they're not producing on a large scale," Ms Dawkins said.
"Also, I'm rapidly approaching 50 and I feel I'd like to move on before I reach that milestone ... I've grown the business as far as I could by myself, and I think it's time for someone else to take over." Ms Dawkins said she never expected Fresh would become so successful, growing from a single shopfront with five tables to a large restaurant across three tenancies with upstairs accommodation.
She said that while she felt it was time to move on, it was still a difficult decision to sell. "My children worked here, I've seen people meet here, fall in love and have babies. Now I just hope the next owner sees it for what it is and goes with it," she said.