On Wednesday 19 August, 60 people filled the Redcliffe Treehouse for After Dark — our Espresso Martini Networker.
Forget the boring fundraiser format: this was a Dark Acre tasting class built around a deconstructed espresso martini and an affogato for dessert, charcuterie and bread, a live panel on women in business, and a room full of people who came to talk, connect and back a cause.
Of the 75 spots on offer, 60 tickets sold — raising more than $3,300 for The Mini Farm Project.
Every dollar from that night goes toward the same goal driving everything we do this year: getting the first section of our next farm — a 10-acre youth training farm at Woodstock, in Logan — into the ground.
That farm will train up to 40 young people a year in Certificate II Horticulture while producing food for families doing it tough.
Right now, food charities across Australia are turning away more than 74,000 people a month because there simply isn't enough supply (OzHarvest Frontline Report 2026). We're not trying to compete for the food that's already out there — we're trying to grow more of it, and nights like After Dark are how we fund the ground it grows on.
A huge thank you
Our host and panel — Jo Stevens (Ladies That Long Lunch / President, Pine Rivers Chamber of Commerce) hosted a brilliant conversation on women in business with panellists Nicolle Kelly (Queensland Small Business Commissioner), Cei Heck (Owner, Redcliffe Treehouse), Riley Chesterfield (Founder, Six Fathoms Distillery) and Robyn Baker (The Boring Writer, Strategic Digital Marketing). Thank you for giving your time and your honesty to a room full of people who came specifically to hear it.
On the floor — Lisa Chesterfield and her daughter Riley ran the Dark Acre stand all night and hosted the tasting class itself: a special deconstructed espresso martini, followed by a Dark Acre affogato for dessert — two of the best reasons to come back next time. Fern Kelly showcased her Pim Cha Nok bags, and Kel Connolly came along to talk everyone through the Homestead candle range. Thank you all for giving up your evening to stand, pour and talk shop for our cause.
Our generous donors — Von Barnes of Pinnacle Properties donated a hamper valued at $500, and Shirlee Green of Starfish Collective donated an espresso candle as a raffle prize. Both went a long way toward the night's total, and we're genuinely grateful.
Our venue — none of it happens without a room to do it in. Thank you to Cei Heck and the whole team at Redcliffe Treehouse for hosting us, and for being such generous hosts on the night.
To everyone who bought a ticket, asked a question, bid on the raffle, or dropped a few extra dollars in the tip jar — thank you. You didn't just have a good night out. You put a real, measurable number on the board for a farm that doesn't exist yet but will.
If you couldn't make it, there are plenty of other ways to back the same goal — buy a bag of Mini Farm Coffee, grab a bottle of Dark Acre, or sponsor a bed at the new farm from as little as $47 a month. Every one of them funds the same 10 acres.
Get the Dirt at www.mfp.org.au
Source: OzHarvest Frontline Report 2026 (ozharvest.org/frontline-report-2026)
