Success Stories

Sustainability innovator Food Recycle’s tech validated by CSIRO Jade Perch and aquaponics trial

CSIRO Agriculture and Food Business Researcher, Dr Ha Truong (right) conducted a series of trials with Food Recycle (CEO Norm Boyle pictured left) to determine the viability of a food waste diet for Jade Perch, with fish waste nutrients then being recycled for aquaponics to grow leafy greens A Jade Perch and aquaponics trial with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has validated Australian sustainability innovator Food Recycle’s technologies to turn commercial food waste into animal feed. Food Recycle, which is currently crowdfunding via Swarmer to commercialise its circular economy technology and scale-up in Australia and New Zealand, says the evidence-based research done by the CSIRO is invaluable in delivering optimum results. “Food Recycle’s patented process delivers on sustainability, circular economy, and food security outcomes for the global community, so it’s vital that our processes are scientifically validated to achieve the outcomes they are designed for,” says Food Recycle CEO, Norm Boyle. The trial follows similarly rigorous trials with layer hens, prawns, and barramundi, conducted by CSIRO, Western Sydney University (WSU) and University of New England (UNE), all of which saw favourable results using a food waste diet from Food Recycle’s systems. “The Swarmer campaign is a unique opportunity for the public to be a part of this sustainability journey and invest in shares in Food Recycle, starting from $250,” says Boyle. Aquaponics trial The Jade Perch aquaponics trial was conducted at the CSIRO’s research facility at Bribie Island, Queensland, and led by Dr Ha Truong, CSIRO’s Agriculture and Food Business Researcher. (Watch a video of the trial here.) In the trial, Jade Perch were fed a food waste diet, then fish waste is recycled, and the nutrients are used for growing leafy greens. “We wanted to determine if using more sustainable and local ingredients would be […]

Australia’s best dry gin is made in New Zealand

Bluff Gin receives highest accolade in the Australian Gin Awards. New Zealand’s newest gin maker, Bluff Distillery is riding high off the back of winning the trophy for ‘Best in Class Classic Dry Gin’ at the Australian Gin Awards 2024. Revealed in Sydney, the southern-most contender swept up the category which attracted over 400 entries across seven categories. Co-Founder and Distiller of Bluff Distillery, Chris Fraser, says it’s such an honour to be recognised on the international stage for a gin that represents the ruggedly beautiful spirit of Bluff. “It’s great validation for us as a team. Just as everything else in Bluff – the gin is what it says on the tin, we wanted to make a gin that respected the classic London Dry recipes created hundreds of years ago,” adds Fraser. “There’s been exponential growth in gin brands in the past few years with all sorts of non-traditional botanicals and infusions. A bit like Bluff, we decided to stay authentic to the heritage of Gin so it’s great to see our strategy – to stay true to who we are – has been recognised by the judges.” The Award is a particularly stunning achievement, given the brand with its distinctive glass buoy bottle only launched in March 2024, selling out the first batch within five days. “There’s something remarkable about winning a trophy in Australia for a classic London Dry Gin distilled in Bluff 19,000kms from the UK,” adds David Nash, Co-Founder and Brand Director. “You wouldn’t know it, but we decided on the gin before we decided on the bottle. As a team we knew we were onto something special with what Chris had distilled, so we needed to house it in something that could proudly sit on the top shelf,” adds Nash. Bluff’s blue-green glass bottle […]

SA’s first commercial agave crop planted at Willunga

Plant-based technology company Vircura, working in conjunction with The Madgett’s Block, has planted the first commercial agave crop in South Australia, growing the hardy plants to primarily produce agave spirit. The site will grow 1200 agave tequilana plants, also known as blue agave which is the key ingredientin tequila, and only grown and distilled in certain areas of Mexico. In Australia, it can be used to make agave spirit. Vircura General Manager Adam Djekic said the plants would take between three and six years to grow, and once at maturity, they would partner with The Madgett’s Block owners Oli and Tara Madgett to find a buyer interested in distilling. “Agave crops are completely new to South Australia and we see it as an emerging commercial industry,” Mr Djekic said. “Tequila is one of the fastest growing spirits popularity-wise internationally, and it is an industry which could grow significantly in Australia over the coming years.” Mr Djekic said wine grape growers had faced some challenging times, particularly with grape gluts and with changing international markets. “Agave could provide a new direction for many grape growers who want to stay in agriculture but are questioning their future viability or wanting to diversify.” Vircura Chief Scientific Officer Professor Rachel Burton, a specialist in plant molecular biology and functional genomics, has been working on emerging plant species including agave, which can also be used to produce bioethanol. “Agave is a wonder plant that has many uses and is hardy and drought resistant, making it perfect for our climate. The tequilana plants should thrive in the soils of the McLaren Vale basin,” Dr Burton said. “There are many uses for the agave plant, including processing for bioethanol, hydrogen production or distillation for spirits. “By growing crops in South Australia and showing the agricultural community that […]

Food Recycle seeks $3m capital raise for commercialisation of food waste to animal feed technology

Food Recycle CEO Norm Boyle (pictured) co-founded the company with his son Nathan Boyle to tackle the global problem of food waste. Food Recycle has patented and patent pending technology to convert any commercial food waste into high-performance animal feeds for industries including poultry, pigs, and aquaculture. Australian company, Food Recycle Ltd, has developed technology to turn commercial food waste into animal feed, leading to less waste in landfill, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and contributing to a circular economy. After successful trials with layer hens, prawns, barramundi, and aquaponics, Food Recycle is seeking a $3m capital raise via crowd-funding platform, Swarmer, to commercialise the technology and scale-up in Australia and New Zealand. “The funds raised will be put towards facility mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and systems design, to allow for the first commercial-scale production facility to be built under the Food Recycle patented technology and knowhow agreement,” says Food Recycle CEO, Norm Boyle. “The funds will also help with cash flow requirements as we look to appoint a technology and knowhow licensee for Australia and New Zealand, which will construct multiple production facilities, with Food Recycle receiving royalty payments on the sale of feed by the licensee,” he adds. “The licensee will be required to construct a minimum of 25 production facilities over a 10-year period, and we would expect 12 of these in the first five years.” The Swarmer crowd-funding campaign – which enters a three-week Expressions of Interest (EOI) phase on August 8, followed by a three-week investment phase – allows individual investments starting from $100, with investors given shares in the company. Food Recycle technology is part of a truly circular economy, keeping valuable resources circulating and out of landfill and the environment. The food waste problem According to multiple sources, including the […]

Canterbury young plant producer named the best in NZ!

Anna England from Elliot’s Wholesale Nursery in Amberley has been named as the 2024 Young Plant Producer of the Year. This prestigious award, presented at the awards dinner in Christchurch last night, celebrates Anna’s dedication and innovation in the plant production industry. The Young Plant Producer event competitors on the skills needed to run a successful plant production. It is organised by NZ Plant Producers (NZPPI), hosted by IPPS (International Plant Propagators’ Society) and supported by the Horticentre Charitable Trust. Young Plant Producers 2024 finalists l to r Ellen Ballentine Anna England (winner) Jessica Jack and Joannes Andresen. The four finalists undertook two days of challenges at Lincoln University, where they were tested on their skills in finance and dispatch, biosecurity, plant propagation and identification, tool maintenance, agrichemical use and irrigation. The judges looked for individuals who could make a difference in the industry, going beyond great skills to also include leadership, attitude and personality. Anna England is Sales Coordinator at Elliotts Wholesale Nursery. Along with her trophy, Anna has won a 12-month programme of mentorship support plus a $3000 fund to advance her career in plant production. She will also take part in the Young Horticulturalist of the Year award in November where she will compete against finalists from the entire horticulture sector, vying for a prize pool worth more than $20,000. Anna moved to Christchurch from Taranaki four years ago to study horticulture at Lincoln University then joined the team at Elliot’s in a role she loves as it “offers with both incredible plants and fantastic people.” “My time in horticulture so far has been a rewarding journey, and I’m grateful to be part of such a supportive industry. I saw the young plant producer competition as an opportunity to challenge myself to develop new skills and knowledge, as well as a great chance […]

Australian technology transforming viticulture through 5G

Precision farming is about to get a whole lot more precise with a wave of 5G technology showing economic and productivity benefits to the viticulture industry. Edon Abbot Growers are increasingly interested in the advantages that 5G has to offer the industry by saving money, time and maximising yield. Platfarm is a spatially based tasking and GPS tracking app for the viticulture industry developed at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, South Australia that allows growers and farmers to manage their land via a smart device. CEO and Co-founder of Platfarm Lyndsey Jackson said that with a mobile phone and a good antenna, you can get 1cm of accuracy. “Being able to really accurately know where either the machine is or fences vine rows, things like that are going to be really critical,” Jackson said. This precision is important in the viticultural industry by tracking what vine rows have been worked on to avoid complications. “If you’re spraying for pests and diseases but have to go fill up your tank… when you come back and you’re a row out, then that can dramatically increase the chance of pests and fungi – that’s how outbreaks happen,” Jackson said. “But with 5G, if you get down to 1cm accuracy, then you’re starting to be really precise about where the location is.” Last month, Platfarm went to a demonstration day supported by Wine Australia in the Mornington Peninsula to be a part of a 5G/GPS trial with Frontier SI and Position Partners to evaluate its economic benefit. The trial was funded by the Australian Government as part of the Australian 5G Innovation Initiative to demonstrate the benefit that 5G has on precision farming. Position Partners used drone flyovers for Near Real-Time Image Processing while Platfarm looked at testing the accuracy for the GPS tracking in […]

HMPS Produces an Industry-First

The intricate merging of two processes spells significant savings and prospects for the packaging industry at-large. Proudly Australian machine builders HMPS Group (HMPS) began in 1980 and have since evolved into specialists in the Design and Manufacture of Automated Processing and Packaging Solutions. Over the years, the company has solved complex packaging challenges and their most recent success story was no exception. In a recent industry-first, HMPS designed and developed a case packer and sleever in one footprint for Real Dairy. Real Dairy is a 100% Australian owned and operated company, employing more than 250 people across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. The company produces their own speciality cheese products and supplies these to retailers across the country. How it Works Adam Read, Sales Manager at HMPS Group explains that this first-of-a-kind machine offers a small footprint, enhanced efficiencies, and long-term cost savings. “This system – the HMPS5000 – can handle pre-glued sleeves in 2, 3 and 4 cell trays at up to 180 tray/minute for the 2 cell trays. With minimal change over it can also operate as an end load cartoner erecting, loading and hotmelt sealing primary cartons.” HMPS supplied two complete units for this project, allowing Real Dairy to handle up to 360 trays/minute. “Our team developed and commissioned this machine within a 32-week period. Combining two machines into one is extremely complex but rewarding – particularly for the end-user”. Speaking to the process, he explains that products are transferred onto HMPS’s specially designed merge system from preceding processes, where two lines of product are merged into one line for loading into the HMPS 5000 sleever/ cartoner. “Generally, these tasks would be handled by two different style machines, and in this case, we had to figure out how to fit four machines into two machines.” Upon […]

NZ’s apiculture industry honours outstanding achievements

New Zealand’s best honey producers have been named at the Apiculture New Zealand National Honey Competition as part of the industry’s annual conference in Christchurch. The conference hosted more than 750 delegates from the apiculture industry at the Te Pae Convention Centre, Christchurch on 30 June and 1 July. The National Honey Competition, held the day before the conference, featured products across a range of honey categories from creamed honey to chunky honey and cut honeycomb. The 2022 Supreme Award winner was Timaru-based Jarved Allan of The Mānuka Collective, who took away the award for the second year in a row. “There was consistently high quality across the board,” said head judge Maureen Conquer. She said the judges were impressed with the quality of honey, that is improving every year, and it was very difficult to choose the winners. The honeydew honeys, in particular, were of much higher quality this year, said Maureen Conquer. All entries were blind tasted, and an international scale of points was used to determine the winners across 12 main categories. For the first time the honey tasting was opened up to conference attendees and a People’s Choice award given. This section boasted an interesting range of flavours including thyme, pumpkin and lavender-infused honeys. Hawkes Bay beekeeper Robyn Gichard’s liquid honey proved to be the favourite in this category. The Apiculture New Zealand Conference also was an opportunity to celebrate other successes within the industry with awards presented to those making outstanding achievements in apiculture science, innovation, sustainability and photography. Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd (and the Trees for Bees team) was awarded the Peter Molan trophy for exceptional contribution to apiculture science for their work on strategic plantations of bee feed that will maximise bee health and survival. Canterbury-based family-owned business Heathstock Apiaries received the ApiNZ Sustainability […]

Demand surges as KiwiHarvest celebrates a decade of doing good

New Zealand’s largest food rescue organisation, KiwiHarvest, is celebrating 10 years of operation this year, having distributed 7.5 million kgs of food to communities in need (the equivalent to 21.6 million meals) and diverted 20 million kgs C02-equivalent from landfill, since its inception. Across its five branches, it has 276 active food donors, and services 227 recipient organisations, providing food support to over 33,500 individuals per week. Achieving that level of scale and substance has been no easy task. KiwiHarvest was established in Dunedin in 2012, initially as FoodShare by Deborah Manning, when she was inspired by two articles in her local newspaper – one about dumpster diving and the other about food insecurity. “I’m profoundly grateful to everyone who has joined our journey over the last ten years. Our story shows what can be achieved when people share a common goal. We can make people’s lives shine a bit brighter through the power and mana of nutritious kai and treating and respecting our land as taonga,” says Manning. The demand for KiwiHarvest’s services has grown exponentially due to the pandemic. In the past 24 months alone, KiwiHarvest rescued 3.9 million kgs of food, nearly half (47%) of its total 10 year volume. Gavin Findlay, KiwiHarvest CEO, says, “At the start of each lockdown, many food businesses chose to donate food that could no longer be sold. Donations from events companies, caterers and retail organisations provided much-needed support to those struggling in the wake of the pandemic. “Although we saw an increase of food donations in 2020, this has since declined due to supply chain issues and less food in circulation. The demand from our recipient agencies, however, also continues to increase, and we still have a waiting list of organisations wishing to become a recipient. There are still areas […]

FlipFarm Systems takes top innovation award at Global Seafood Alliance Awards

A New Zealand company has been recognised for being a leader in oyster farm technology, picking up the 2021 Global Aquaculture Innovation Award at the Global Seafood Alliance Awards. The Award, which was handed to FlipFarm Systems at a virtual event earlier this month, recognises individuals and companies finding new solutions to the key challenges facing aquaculture. FlipFarm Systems, designed and developed by the owners of Marlborough Oysters, bet out 39 applicants from 24 countries to secure a place as a finalist, before being voted the overall winner by audience vote. FlipFarm Systems is a semi-automated oyster growing system that helps provide an ideal environment for oyster growth, conditioning and hardening, while giving complete control over fouling, pests and predators. FlipFarm Managing Director Aaron Pannell and Owner/Operator of Marlborough Oysters is delighted with the win, which further cements the company on the international stage. “Our FlipFarm technology officially launched two years ago and is used by more than 70 oyster farmers in 12 countries worldwide,” says Pannell, who runs the business with his wife, Debbie. “While carrying out the day-to-day operations at our oyster farming business, Marlborough Oysters, we identified the need for improved technology. We needed to evolve the growing process from the traditional system of plastic oyster growing bags clipped to growing lines with webbing lanyards.” The former system proved ineffective and the equipment would wear out and during stormy weather they would lose hundreds of oyster growing bags. This not only impacted their bottom line, and negatively impacted the environment, but meant staff were regularly called on to make repairs and retrieve lost equipment. Aaron knew there must be a better way, so he applied his can-do attitude and marine farming experience to design FlipFarm – harvesting equipment which would bring a new level of efficiency to […]

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