Wombat Brain believes in supporting the Fair Trade movement, while empowering the growth & development of local artists & artisans.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Wombat Brain acknowledges the Turrbal and Jagera people; Traditional Custodians of Meanjin, the land on which we predominantly operate, along with the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continued connections to land, water, culture, and community. We pay our respect to their elders past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Why Fair Trade?

Have you ever asked yourself what lies behind the products we purchase?

Where are they made? In Australia? Overseas?

How much are the workers paid? What conditions are they working under? Is the workplace safe?

How is the environment treated? Is child labour used? Is slave labor involved?

We really like to encourage you to think about the journey of the products you purchase, whether it be the clothes you’re wearing or just a bar of chocolate. We encourage you to stop and ask yourself what lies behind these products? And how can the way in which we shop and purchase products can make a real difference?

Fair Trade is about paying people a fair wage, safe and healthy working conditions, no child labour, no slavery, environmental sustainability. This ensures that the artisans, artists, workers, and farmers behind the product, as well as the environment, benefit from us making a conscious decision to purchase Fair Trade products and are given an opportunity to invest in improving the quality of their lives.

Why 'Wombat Brain'?

Not only are they adorable, wombats are also very underestimated.

Wombats are quite intelligent, they have the most developed brain of all the marsupials, and are notorious for cleverly digging alternate exits to their burrows when traditional traps are put in place.  

We believe that these powerful marsupials are a great symbol for resilience and for our business, and that the name 'Wombat Brain' is perfect for a business like us whose aim is to encourage people to find an alternate and ethical way to shop.

How did it start?

Although we have only been around since October 2019, we do have a history with Fairtrade. Business owner Mariah's passion for the Fair Trade movement developed after volunteering, working, and managing Oxfam Shops around Brisbane for just over a decade beforehand, including: Oxfam Shop Chermside, Oxfam Shop Brisbane Myer Centre, and Oxfam Shop Garden City.

Wombat Brain was founded shortly after the nationwide closure of all Oxfam Shop retail stores in 2019, with a huge desire and passion to continue to offer an outlet for Fairtrade products and promote the Fair Trade movement. Besides the marketplace at Lovewell Cafe which we refresh and restock every Friday, we are currently online and market based, generally attending markets and events around the Southside of Brisbane and down the coast as far as Bangalow.

With Wombat Brain we have a large focus on everyday products and giftware, as well as Australian made and designed items. We are completely involved in creating all of our t-shirt & shopping bag apparel designsworking closely with local Australian artists to create the designs and screen print them in house ourselves using Etiko Fairtrade organic cotton shirts, and Permaset water based, eco-friendly inks. A majority of all other products are sourced directly from Fair Trade certified producers and ethical producers with people and planet in mind.