The Australian Organic Market Report (AOMR) 2023 was published last week and the ORICoop team would like to share some insight into the high growth and export potential for Australian organics – and particularly the massive potential of the organic grain industry in Australia
Key update from Organic and Regenerative Investment Co-operative (ORICoop)
ORICoop (Organic & Regenerative Investment Cooperative) has released the details of the ORCA investment project. A project seeded by 5 key organic producers in the Riverina. And has grown into a substantial National project incorporating producers from the Riverina, the Malle to South Australia and stretching to key producers in the Western Australian wheat belt. This has provided a significant understanding of the existing barriers and potential innovative solutions to relocalise organic, sustainable and regenerative grain, to lessen the footprint of grains across the industry and to understand the health benefits of organic food with more transparency and vitality for consumers and farmers alike.
ORCA is the first Farmer Owned organic grain brand. Led by ORICoop, a National Producers Cooperative, that seeks to do business differently. Farmer Led. Business Driven. With Sustainability front and centre in how to grow and diversify markets across the organic sector.
The Australian Organic Market report outlines the increasing demand for clean and green food. With the industry growing 14% year on year and with an increased opportunity to capture these strong markets that are health conscious, sustainably focused, and value the on-farm stewardship practices.
“Across southern Australia there are incredibly innovative grain producers. Managing a diverse climate ranging from highly productive irrigation land in the Riverina, to marginal light sandy country in the Mallee and the Western Australian wheat belt” shares Carolyn, ORICoop Executive Director. To enable these producers to capture the best markets these producers require a diverse mix of market opportunities from livestock feed through to high end premium grain markets. That enables producers to capture premium markets, spread their risk, and to work closely with manufacturers and bulk buyers that are seeking reliable, high quality Australian grown organic grains for their retail products, for a growing and lucrative market.
Through the ORCA seed project funded by Sustainable Table, ORICoop understands what is being grown, what the challenges to these markets are, and where there are better and more profitable markets from the farm gate. One of the key aspects of this project was to identify not just the market barriers – but also the physical barriers in terms of storage, processing and manufacturing capacity for organic products.
The project enables ORICoop to demonstrate how organic grain has specific requirements and why the existing commodity based grain supply chain doesn’t support organic producers. Both in terms of size, capacity and the interest in single origin or select organic grain types for domestic and export.
The next stage for the ORCA project is to co-design and build tailored bespoke infrastructure that is well suited for this mix of grain products that are in high demand from business. That reduces the footprint of the grain industry. And provides a higher level of sustainability and integrity from the farm to the end consumer.
‘‘Just this week we received another export enquiry – for over 50,000T of premium organic grain. That is more than is grown across the whole country currently!’ says Carolyn Suggate, Founder and Director of ORICoop. “What we need is a coordinated approach to sustainably build out the industry and to capture these strong domestic and export markets that value the clean and green food that organic producers are growing. And builds the capacity for more growers to expand their organic enterprises, increase their profitability while diversifying their risk with mixed crop selections.”
Investment into this area must be tailored to the needs of the industry. It is not one size that fits all. It’s bespoke infrastructure and technology, with catalytic capital that is innovative, patient and understands the downside risk of our dependence on large commodity based food and farming systems.
The Australian Organic Industry now covers more than 55M hectares of land, with more land certified in Australia than any country or continent in the world. And the Organic industry is valued at over $2.1B according to the latest market report.
As a National Producer Cooperative we are member based, and our values deeply align with producers and our end buyers. ORICoop invests back into the industry, providing business services to producers with the best potential for strong markets. And sharing the upside value of the supply chain with our network as a National Cooperative. To build out domestic and export markets, spread the risk and expand the opportunity for mutual collective benefit. That is a true Cooperative!
“The time is now for a new paradigm of investing, where growth is not the main indicator for success, but instead we see transformational ecological, social and cultural changes at the pace necessary to arrest the impact of climate.”
Hayley Morris,
Chair, Sustainable Table,
Executive Director, Morris Family Foundation
“The Australian Organic sector is a strong contributor to the Australian economy, representing 0.04% GDP and contributing $851M directing and over $2.6 flow on effects. Australia has 70% of the global land under certified organic management, boosting 53 million hectares and farming revenue expected to nearly triple in the next five years. Our organic sector continues to grow year on year and there is still so much more potential to be realized”
Niki Ford,
Chief Executive Officer,
Australian Organic Limited
“Michael Coleman, the lawyer working with ORICoop on the investment, sees the ORCA fund as part of the development of more diverse options for investors interested in both profit and sustainability. “Institutional and professional investors are like all of us in seeing and generally welcoming the market’s shift towards technology, innovation and sustainability. Innovative investment options are cropping up everywhere, from retail superannuation funds to private syndicates to click-to-join carbon offset apps. ORICoop as a member-based, not-for-profit organisation is well placed to meet this demand. The ORCA fund is innovative, but it meets the fundamentals – it will own tangible assets that will be directly used by the organic producers the organisation exists to serve, and generate a return for both members and investors.”
Michael Coleman
Managing Director
Boxforest Consulting
‘The ORICoop ORCA project is tailor-made to bring together organic producers to develop an organic food supply chain that will benefit all Australians and overseas consumers. The development of ORCA seems very timely in a world where high quality, certified and healthy food is produced and delivered in a reliable and cost- effective manner.’
Kevin Franey
Partner, Audit & Assurance
Thomas, Noble & Russell (TNR)
ORICoop represents businesses across Australia that are interested in tapping into the world of healthy, planet friendly, sustainable food and farming systems. Enabling food and agriculture to provide resilience and profitability in our regional economies. To lessen the footprint in our production systems. And to increase the profitability and market capacity for organic and sustainable food into domestic and export markets. We invite you to complete an Expression of Interest to get involved in our mission.
To find out more or register for the EOI see link here https://organicinvestmentcooperative.com.au/invest/
Media Contact:
Carolyn Suggate
carolyn@organicinvestmentcooperative.com.au
0448 778 074
Images are available upon request