SME  /  E-COMMERCE

By FedEx | First published: January 27, 2023  Updated: May 27, 2026

Online marketplace Buy From The Bush is empowering small business owners across rural Australia to connect with global customers. Here’s how e-commerce support, combined with efficient logistics solutions, is helping these SMEs thrive.

• Gaps in digital and logistics connectivity make it challenging for Australia’s remote bush businesses to reach new customers.

• Online platform Buy From The Bush has helped raise the profile of rural SMEs, generating over AUD 14 million in revenue for regional businesses.

• FedEx’s logistics solutions have streamlined e-commerce shipping for rural business owners, ensuring that temperature-sensitive and time-critical shipments arrive quickly and reliably.

From raw honey producers to family-owned wineries, Australia’s bush regions are home to some of the country’s most distinctive SMEs. But while their products are exceptional, many struggle to connect with customers in urban and overseas markets. Unreliable internet connectivity in regional areas can limit e-commerce operations, while gaps in freight infrastructure and logistics networks make it difficult to move goods efficiently.

Buy From The Bush is helping to put these remote businesses on the map. In 2019, amid Australia’s worst drought on record, founder Grace Brennan started an Instagram account to showcase goods from bush communities.

Within seven weeks, Buy From the Bush had gained 130,000 followers, driving a flood of orders for regional SMEs. Between 2020 and 2023, the platform’s online marketplace processed over 77,000 transactions, helping local makers and producers not only survive, but thrive.

As rural SMEs gain global attention, strong logistics networks are essential to support their growth. With many bush businesses located hundreds of kilometers from the nearest city, they need fast, reliable pickup and delivery services to source materials and fulfill orders. Here’s how two regional Australian SMEs overcame hurdles to e-commerce shipping with FedEx’s support.

Deva Cacao: Shipping temperature-sensitive chocolate safely

Based in the small town of Bellingen in regional New South Wales, Deva Cacao produces Australia’s first raw chocolate that is naturally sweetened with raw bush honey. Handcrafted by husband-and-wife team Maggie and Ming, this award-winning brand is known for its organic ingredients and certified home-compostable packaging.

When it comes to shipping chocolate, strict temperature control is a must. Temperatures above 24°C can cause chocolate to melt or develop fat bloom. To ensure that its products reach customers in optimal condition, Deva Cacao relies on reliable cold chain logistics solutions.

After researching multiple shipping providers, Maggie and Ming chose FedEx. By optimizing delivery routes based on customer needs, FedEx helps minimize transit times and reduce the risk of temperature fluctuations. What’s more, FedEx’s extensive global network enables the Australian SME to ship internationally at competitive rates.

"FedEx drivers are always professional, personable, and reliable,” says Maggie. “They look after my temperature-sensitive goods by making sure I’m the last pickup on their run. That way, my products aren’t sitting in a hot truck all day. When I drop off my deliveries, they even store them in their air-conditioned office (as opposed to the depot). And their reach is greater than their competitors, at a better price.”

Bandicute: Providing on-time delivery with tracking visibility

Bandicute produces educational toys from an unexpected setting: a sheep and cattle farm in the small town of Gunning, New South Wales. Originally launched as a children’s clothing business, mother-and-daughter duo Ellen and Jess now specialize in handcrafting small-batch toys with an Aussie flair. Think sausage sizzle play sets, Australian outback car tracks, and koala-shaped lacing toys. 

The remoteness of their farm can make e-commerce shipping challenging. Ellen and Jess use FedEx to transport materials and finished products to and from their property. These packages are conveniently collected by FedEx couriers, saving valuable time and reducing trips to the post office.

“We run our business from a small rural property about 30 minutes away from a large town, so we don’t have the privilege of shopping for supplies and goods or finding manufacturers locally. These are the logistics challenges facing many small rural SMEs in Australia,” explains Jess.

“We rely on FedEx for reliable and efficient deliveries. Many customers are buying gifts for babies – who grow all too quickly! On-time delivery is essential when it comes to handmade children’s products,” Ellen adds.

FedEx’s advanced tracking capabilities offer end-to-end shipment visibility, enabling Bandicute to provide timely order updates and build trust with customers. Ellen recounts one memorable instance when this visibility made a real difference. 

“We had a customer who needed an urgent order sent overseas for their grandchild’s first birthday. They had planned to deliver it personally, but due to the pandemic, they weren’t able to travel,” she recalls.

“With FedEx help, the gift arrived in record time, and our customer was so happy they could be involved in their granddaughter's birthday in some small way. We’re pleased that we could deliver a high level of service and keep our customer informed of the package journey with the tracking and visibility that FedEx provides.”

Empowering Australian SMEs with simpler logistics

At FedEx, we’re working to help local businesses reach new markets and customers through reliable e-commerce shipping solutions. We continue to invest in regional facilities that streamline international shipping for Australian SMEs and improve access to express pickup and delivery services. Our newest facility in Queensland will begin operations in 2026, empowering SMEs across the greater Bundaberg area with faster, more efficient connections to global markets.

These growing logistics networks are paving the way to a more connected future for bush businesses. When rural makers and producers have the opportunity to grow into thriving e-commerce businesses, the benefits ripple through local communities. In the long run, this translates to greater resilience for Australia’s vital regional economies.

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