Street Food Australia launches in Brisbane


Brisbane's CBD streets will soon be home to a new type of takeaway - street food just like you'll find on city street corners around the world.

Thanks to locals Helen Bird and Billerwell Daye, Street Food Australia will hit Brisbane's streets with it's  $25,000 modified Sorte Jernhest cargo-bike in what they believe to be an Australian first.

Street Food Australia is a start-up social enterprise dedicated to helping disadvantaged migrants start their own business in the food industry. The idea is to assist disadvantaged migrants start their own businesses within the food industry by helping them to set up a street food bicycle-driven cart, serving food from their native culture.

This stepping-stone micro-industry will allow participants to test their food ideas, capture a following, earn an income, stash the profits and learn all the business basics for graduating into a bigger operation such as a café/restaurant.



The Sorte Jernhest cargo-bikes have the greatest capacity (in weight), the tightest turning circle and are road tested in the food service industry in Europe.

Street Food Australia's bicycle-powered cart was designed and manufactured in Brisbane by a new design firm Pearler.

The fitted bike is a self-sufficient example of sustainability in motion, using solar, 12V & LPG as the only fuels, no mains water, no generators and no power leads required. The food inputs are all sourced from local organic farms (where possible) and the packaging is the best biodegradable examples on the market.

Street Food Australia is  working with a quadruple bottom line which targets economic, social, ecological and cultural sustainability. The plan is to expand the number of bikes over the next few years.



The launch was held in the courtyard, foyer and screening room courtesy of the Institute of Modern Art (IMA) at the Judith Wright Centre, Cnr Berwick & Brunswick Sts, Fortitude Valley

There was also built a pop-up street food cookbook bookstore (on a bike) to inspire diners to cook street food recipes at home - kindly sponsored by Scrumptious Reads bookstore.

The crowd lining up for steaming dumplings, 'mini-banh mi', elote (mexican corn), tequila ribs, and more was thick but comforted by the amazing smell of the food cooking.



I tried the $5 ribs and corn combo which tasted amazing. 





Check the Street Food Australia website for more information on where the bikes will be positioned.

Disclaimer: Ed+bK paid for this meal