Dish the Dirt

Dish the Dirt — Show Notes
The Cotton Bunch with Jamie Rother & Caroline Azria
What happens when a third-generation cotton farmer and a Paris-born UX designer meet at Disney World, fall in love, and end up growing flowers on the Darling Downs? You get The Cotton Bunch — and one of the most unexpected stories in Australian flower farming.
Jamie Rother and Caroline Azria run The Cotton Bunch across two properties near Toowoomba, Queensland. Their journey started as a 3am Sydney Flower Market experiment, survived a pandemic, weathered floods, frosts and a burnt-down farm — and became one of the most exciting growing operations in Southeast Queensland.
In this episode we cover their backstory, the leap from corporate life to full-time farming, the radical mindset shift from yield to aesthetic, reviving a fire-devastated wildflower farm in Hampton, and what it actually takes to hit your targets when the black soil turns to sinking sand. Plus their proudest moment, the harvest that brought the whole team to their knees, and what it means to build something like this with the person you love.
In this episode:
Trading Sydney careers for a cotton farm during COVID
From 3am flower market runs to tens of thousands of sunflower stems a week
Yield vs aesthetic — why floriculture is a completely different mindset
Reviving a 40-acre wildflower farm burned by an arsonist in 2019
Joining Wildflowers Australia and finding their grower community
The Christmas bush harvest that tested everyone
Their proudest Mother's Day moment
Links & Resources
The Cotton Bunch — cottonbunch.com | @thecottonbunch
Wildflowers Australia — wildflowersaustralia.com.au — tickets now on sale for the 11th National Conference & Expo, Sunshine Coast, 14–15 August 2026. Pre-conference farm tour at The Cotton Bunch, Hampton, 12 August.
Madge Goods — madgegoods.com | @madge_goods — use code DIRT15 for 15% off the Stella Jumpsuit
Dish the Dirt goes in search of Australian flower farmers and shares their stories. Hosted by Rebecca Noble. Got a brand that'd love to reach this community? Head to dishthedirt.com.au and hit contact.
Until next time — keep being blooming fabulous. 🌸

Some people don't just start businesses — they start movements. This week I sit down with Jess, the powerhouse founder of the Flower Summit, the Newcastle Food & Flower Markets and the Newcastle Flower School.
We go right back to the beginning: the entrepreneurial kid who landed her first job at thirteen, started her first company at twenty-three with a hundred chair covers sewn in her auntie's garage, and went on to bring Australian Bridal Fashion Week to the country. From there, Jess found flowers — and never looked back, now running around two hundred weddings a year.
But the heart of this episode is the spark behind the Flower Summit: a trip to the US, a community of female growers who cheer each other on instead of competing, and the courage to bring that same generous spirit home to Australia.
In this episode: • Growing up entrepreneurial and starting a business at 23 • Bringing Australian Bridal Fashion Week to Australia • Falling in love with flowers and building a wedding business • Coming home to launch the Newcastle Food & Flower Markets • Tall-poppy culture vs. the "you go, girl" spirit she found in the US • How the Flower Summit was born (and named before her plane even landed) • Why it's for everyone — growers, designers, men and women alike • The Australian grower-led flower pricing guide she's building for the industry
🌸 The Flower Summit — a two-day celebration of women in floriculture (everyone welcome) with world-class speakers and hands-on workshops. 📅 24–25 November 2026 📍 Stanley Park, just outside Newcastle 🎟️ Tickets & details: flowersummit.com.au
This episode is proudly sponsored by the Flower Summit, and Dish the Dirt is the official podcast and media partner — I'll be there capturing all the stories, so come and say hello.
Enjoyed this one? Follow Dish the Dirt, leave a review, and share it with a flower-loving friend.

We’re closing out 2025 with a soulful, grounded, and beautifully honest conversation with Brooke Stewart of Meadowbrook Flower Farm. Set between Port Fairy and Warrnambool, Brooke’s six-acre farm is shaped by wind, weather, family, and the deep desire to build something meaningful from home.
Brooke shares how flower farming became the anchor she needed during motherhood, a FIFO lifestyle, raising a child with Williams Syndrome, and the isolation of early COVID. What started with a handful of Aldi dahlias, a cottage garden, and a suggestion to “go for a walk and listen to a podcast” has grown into a thriving, seasonal farm that reflects her resilience, curiosity, and huge heart.
This episode is rich with learning, laughter, and the kind of honesty that reminds us why Dish the Dirt exists: to celebrate the growers, the stories, and the small everyday triumphs happening on farms across Australia.
As the final episode of the year, it feels fitting, grounding, and full of hope. Thank you to every listener who has tuned in, shared an episode, spread the word, and supported local flower farmers in 2025. This community is a gift.
🌿 What We Talk About
How Brooke discovered flower farming through motherhood and a well-timed podcast recommendation
Building a flower farm around FIFO schedules & family life
Moving from a 120-year-old cottage to six acres of possibility
Floods, droughts, crickets, windbreaks & the unpredictable reality of farming
Her love for bulbs (especially gladioli!) and planning crops around life, not perfection
Soil regeneration, composting & reducing inputs
The power of showing up at conferences and finding your flower farming “village”
Overcoming imposter syndrome and claiming the title “farmer”
Community dinners, local networks & the importance of women supporting women
💐 Brooke’s Quick-Fire Answers
3 things she’d take if she had to leave quickly:
Her zero-turn mower
A sunflower head for seeds
A handful of trusty snips
One flower to repopulate an empty island:
Bells of Ireland (or Gladioli!)
Flower hero:
Lisa Mason Ziegler
✨ End-of-Year Notes
This is the final Dish the Dirt episode of 2025.
Thank you for:
every listen
every share
every message
every time you’ve supported a grower featured on the show
Your support builds this community, lifts up our growers, and keeps these stories alive. I can’t wait to bring you more voices, more farms, and more beauty in 2026.
📣 Connect with Brooke
Add any links here if you’d like @meadowbrookeflowerfarm
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Key topics:
Diversifying crops and sustaining staff year-round

Protected cultivation and the benefits of greenhouses

Exporting Australian flowers to Japan and beyond

Collaboration, community, and why sharing knowledge matters

Adapting to climate change and investing in renewable energy

Mentioned:
Wildflowers Australia

AgriFutures research library

East Coast Wildflowers and the growers who inspire him

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guests: Elsa from Hunter Forage & Madeline from Mount Vincent Flower Farm
In this episode, Rebecca chats with Elsa and Madeline about how a small group of passionate local growers turned into a thriving community of 30+ members known as the Hunter Flower Collective.
We talk about:
🌼 How the collective began — and the joy of growing from five friends to 31 members
🌸 The challenges and creativity of micro-scale flower farming on residential blocks
🌿 How connection, collaboration, and shared learning have become their biggest strengths
💧 Dealing with floods, pests, and limited space — and finding resilience through community
💐 The importance of supporting local florists and fostering strong grower–florist relationships
The Hunter Flower Collective is proof that big things grow from small beginnings — and that when flower farmers come together, they can change the landscape of their region.
Connect with the Hunter Flower Collective:
Instagram → @hunterflowercollective
Elsa → @hunter_forage
Mentioned in this episode:
The Harvest (Hunter Valley’s local flower hub)

Grow Not Flown

Earthenry Flower Farm (TAS)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.