5 session summary from evokeAg 2019

Grow locally, think globally – how Australian businesses built an international brand and success.

Panelists:

• David Blackmore - Blackmore Wagyu
• Rob McGavin - Cobram Estate
• Jodie Goldsworthy - Beechworth Honey
• Frances Bender - Huon Aquaculture

Discussion:

• Note: recent BCG research on the need for sustainable production indicates that there may be a premium for these products. This is contradictory to research research out of the US, which holds consumers expect farmers to farm sustainably, with no price premium.
• There is an interest in how food connects to the Sustainable Development Goals (see here: https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2016-06-14-how-food-connects-all-the-sdgs.html). Farmers need to explore how they meet these goals and are involved throughout the process.
• Blackmore Wagyu Beef shows an interesting example as to how Australians can meet the international market demands for Australian food. See story online for further information.
• For entrepreneurs, embrace the feeling of “nothing to start from, nothing to lose”.
• There is a big interest in food provenance, with the Beechworth Honey business an example of how this is done well. This example also shows the need for exploration of niche products for domestic markets.
• There is a feeling that millennials don’t like or trust big corporates, which is encouraging for family farms.
• There is also some benefit in red tape. It ensures biosecurity and also means consumers will get a high quality product.
• Huon Seafood have been adopting a Controlled Growth Strategy. Their approach (https://www.huonaqua.com.au/our-approach/) provides a really good example of engagement and consideration to environmental aspects, rather than profit.

Cultivating plants to make medical implants and ‘unbreakable’ glass. How bio-inspired nanocomposite materials are generating some amazing innovations.

Speaker:

• Oded Shoseyov, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Discussion points:

• “The Stone Age did not end for lack of stone. The oil age will end long before the world runs out of oil”.
• Oded’s company are currently investigating new ways in which to grow medical drugs and human elements. For instance, they now grow collagen (which can be grown on tobacco plants) to assist people with diabetes, which can prevent amputation.
• They are also developing 4D printing, where they can print food and cook it, all in one machine.
• One example he showed was being able to print a human heart, that will be better than the one we currently have.
• His TED talk provides good context for the work he does- https://www.ted.com/talks/oded_shoseyov_how_we_re_harnessing_nature_s_hidden_superpowers

From Australia with love – developing a premium brand for an Asian audience.

Speaker:

• David Blackmore (Blackmore Wagyu)

Discussion points:

• David expanded upon his previous session (detailed earlier). His videos about how he developed the business are great. Check them out here: https://blackmorewagyu.com/our-wagyu
• David’s philosophy is as follows:

Farm with your brain, not your heart.

Find something that makes us money and learn to like it.

Learn what our customers want and make it. They will want to buy it- we won’t have to sell it.

To make our product as important to our client’s business as their business is to us.

To make the brand “Blackmore” more recognisable than the Wagyu brand.

Emphasise to our customers our points of difference when compared to our competitors.

To be the best in the business, to enable us to set our own price to cover costs of production and to be able to price above market fluctuations.

Use “our story” as our strongest marketing tool.

Our honest and integrity is key.

• His commitment to animal genomics is incredible!

Agriculture 4.0 - Future of the Nation.

Panel:

• John Harvey – AgriFutures Australia
• Ethy Levy – The Bridge Hub
• Emma Moss – evokeAG. Future Young Leader
• Spencer Maughan – Finistere Ventures

Discussion:

• By far my FAVOURITE session, where home truths were told openly and honestly.
• The key points I took from Spencer Maughan summed it all up for me:
• We want to invest in startups that change the world, rather than just focus in Australian markets! Entrepreneurs in Australia need to have a global mindset.
• The Australian market is big enough to be complacent, but not big enough to build a big company.
• The global lead of Agriculture from KPMG outlined his 4 key focus areas for business growth:
• Have a consumer focus
• Sustainability is a must
• Technology needs to be explored as a system basis and the adoption of this is critical
• We need to tell stories that resonate with consumers

Indigenous and native foods – developing alternative markets.

Panel:

• Steven Saunders – Robotics Plus
• Amanda Garner – Australian Native Foods & Botanicals
• Tina Wilson - NZTE
• Jacinta Monck - Kimberley Wild Gubinge

Discussion:

• Manuka honey and whitebait are a good example of native foods in NZ.
• The Kimberley are exploring Savannah enrichment programs, replanting and increasing biodiversity on sites where fires etc have occured.
• Steve Saunders berry example in NZ - formulation of healthy products, then branding etc. This will provide a base or platform so they can have considerations as to how the platforms work so people understand how the process works
• NZ example largely using non-native plants for current commercialisation.
• Model of application to foods. Dairy owned by Maori is Maori dairy or Maori cows
• Impact of animals eating only native grasses etc?
• Complete system and stories are being explored in Australia through Black fella beef (MLA Project)