Stallholder story: I’m Not Charlie

‘I’m Not Charlie’ gourmet pickles, sauces and relishes started in April 2012. Founder, Narelle Bugg, relates the story behind the unusual business name and her business…

“I am probably a little bit different to other food businesses, as my motivation for setting up I'm Not Charlie was born out of my wish to provide our son, who has Down Syndrome, with an opportunity to lead a meaningful life away from traditional disability settings.”

“I am a self-taught baker and love to cook good quality homemade and home grown food.  I stumbled into making preserves when I tasted a jar of my sister’s, mother in law’s homemade zucchini pickle. She kindly passed the recipe on to me and I decided to have a go at making my own.  This led to me chatting to other family members who eagerly shared with me their own, their grandmother’s, and their great grandmother’s pickle and relish recipes. From there things just fell into place!”

“The business name, ‘I'm Not Charlie’ comes from a saying of my son’s whose name is Andrew Charles. My Dad always used to say to him "Gidday Charlie," to which Andy would reply "I'm NOT Charlie!!!", always with a huge grin; it was their ‘thing’. I wanted a name that encouraged shoppers to ask why “I'm Not Charlie” so that I could share the reason behind our business.”

“We grow some of our own seasonal veggies and also support our local fruit and veggie suppliers.  I do the cooking and Andy helps out behind the scenes.  He loves to help pack the car for markets (because, as he loves to tell, he has such huge muscles – ha ha!) and also assists with lots of other tasks.”

“I love being part of the local market scene and using our little business as a learning tool to enhance my son's life experiences and give him the opportunity to feel like a valued member of society.”  

You can find I’m Not Charlie on Facebook here.