More than 25 years ago, a simple dare prompted graphic designer Steven van den Bergh to make his first-ever jar of raspberry jam — a spontaneous experiment that would unexpectedly spark a passion for preserving and, over time, grow into a thriving business.

At Imbue Distillery in Melbourne’s north-east, every bottle tells a story. Founded by hospitality veterans Mel and Mick Sheard, Imbue is a small-batch distillery known for its inventive use of local, foraged, and often overlooked ingredients—like prickly pear, damson plum, and yuzu.

Linda and John Stanley made a (literal) tree change twelve years ago. Leaving the hustle and bustle of Perth, they moved three hours south to the small community of Nannup in Western Australia’s south west, where they purchased a 1,000-tree sweet chestnut farm, Chestnut Brae.