Milawa Mustards on the market

Published in Wangaratta Chronicle 4.8.08 ... archived 4.8.08

They’ve built Milawa Mustards from scratch over the past 27 years, but couple ponders time for a change

Written by JEFF ZEUSCHNER.

ONE of Milawa’s gourmet mainstays is on the market, and it’s already attracting plenty of interest.

Milawa Mustards, together with its historic ‘Old Emu Inn’ premises, is up for sale.

Owners Anna and David Bienvenu say they are not desperate to end their 27 year passion, but if there is the right interest to buy the freehold and retain the business they built from scratch, then they’re happy to move on.

"We’ve got a few things we’d like to do...I’ve got my photography and David has some other interests too," Anna said.

"This has been our lives for a very long time, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our association with customers, and our many great staff, who’ve become like family."

Milawa Mustards began from the Bienvenus’ farm kitchen more than 26 years ago - an interest for keen photographer Anna after she moved back to the area she was raised in.

"We began making just five types of mustard," said Anna.

"We made everything in the kitchen, in batches of 20 jars, and then started to sell them at the Brown Brothers markets.

"We took them to a few shops and they were a bit suspicious of it actually."

But people caught on, both locally and across Australia, with the business now selling around 45,000 jars of 18 types of mustards, and 12,000 jars of more than 60 types of condiments annually.

"We still grow all our own ingredients and David and I have kept it so we still make everything ourselves, the traditional way," said Anna.

Enhancing the business’s appeal is its historic premises – the ‘Old Emu Inn’ and its adjoining barn and historic police lock-up.

The building dates back to 1861, and has gone from emu farming to district roads office, pub, regular stop for Cobb and Co coaches, assembly hall for dances, district court, police station, restaurant and then the Milawa Mustards business in 1994.

Local folklore suggests Ned Kelly even spent time there.