30/09/2026
𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐣𝐚 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐑𝐀𝐖 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐤 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬
For Sonja, Victor Harbor was never the plan – it became home almost by accident, and now it's hard to imagine anywhere else.
Sonja and her husband Adrian moved to Hayborough five and a half years ago, trading city life in Adelaide for something slower. "Lifestyle; we were both working in the city and wanted to escape the hustle - if you can call Adelaide a hustle," she says.
It didn't take long for the town to win her over. "It's a really beautiful little town. When you drive in, the views are magical," Sonja says. "The community is incredible, not just in Victor - it's the whole region."
That same sense of community is what makes Raw Bulk Wholefoods location so special to her. Positioned in the heart of town, the shop sits right in the thick of things, especially on Saturdays when the Victor Harbor Farmers Market brings the streets to life. "Some amazing small businesses surround us, so it feels like a nice pocket to be in," she says. "I love that we're supported all year round by our community."
When Sonja and Adrian took over RAW three and a half years ago, it was just Sonja and one other staff member running the shop. Today, the team has grown to 11 staff plus the two owners. "It's been crazy, in the best way," she says.
Sonja's path to RAW wasn't a direct one. She spent close to 20 years in the jewellery industry, working for a manufacturer and diamond wholesaler - "feels like another life," she says - before running a small baking business and holding a stall at the Willunga Farmers Market.
These days, spare time is a rare commodity. "Spare time? I have not had much of that since buying the business, but I am working on it," she says. When she does find a moment, it's spent at Pilates, with her husband and friends, walking her dogs, or - after more than a decade away from it - getting back into lifting weights.
Sonja is also playing a part in shaping Victor Harbor's future. As a member of the new Business Victor Harbor Main St Working Group, she's helping workshop ideas to bring more life back into the town's centre. "I would love to see more small businesses back in the downtown precinct, and for the area to be more activated as a destination," she says.
For Sonja, supporting local isn't just a philosophy - it's the key to a thriving town. "Small businesses are a vital part of our community; we have to support them and support the people who want to give it a go," she says. "I hear it a lot that 'there is nothing open,' but if everyone spends a little of their money in the existing small businesses, it has a profound ripple effect."
📷 Sonja Hurley pictured right, with husband Adrian.
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