This year’s winners of the prestigious Australian Organic Industry Awards were crowned at a gala event in Melbourne on Friday evening. Hosted by Australian Organic Limited (AOL), the awards ceremony marked the conclusion of the two-day 2024 Australian Organic Conference at Pullman Melbourne on the Park. AOL Chief Executive Officer, Niki Ford, congratulated the winning businesses and individuals for their outstanding contributions to Australia’s $2.6 billion organic industry. Australia’s largest certified organic meat producer, Hewitt, was named Business of the Year, while its retail brand ..read more

After nearly six years at the helm of Australian Organic Limited (AOL), Chief Executive Officer, Niki Ford, has announced she will be stepping down from the role. Ms Ford, who became the organisation’s first female CEO in 2018, made the announcement at the close of the 2024 Australian Organic Conference that her tenure will end on 31 July. “Our industry has so much to offer Australia’s collective future, and as I have said so many times the sector is still to reach its full potential,” she told Conference attendees at Pullman on the Park in Melbourne tonight. “As the industry progresses, it ..read more

The 2024 Australian Organic Conference is underway in Melbourne, with keynote speaker, US impact investor Robyn O’Brien, known as “food’s Erin Brockovich”, saying Australia is the global frontline of the intersection of agriculture, climate and food security. Centred on the theme ‘Our Future, Growing Together’, the two-day event has brought together the leading lights of the certified organic industry to focus on three pillars – business growth, the environment, and people and animals – covering topics such as profitable production systems, proactive management, how to upscale businesses, and ..read more

Australia’s finest certified organic producers, processors and operators will be celebrated at the 2024 Australian Organic Industry Awards, with finalists announced across seven categories. Hosted by Australian Organic Limited (AOL), this year’s awards will be presented at a gala dinner at the conclusion of the two-day Australian Organic Conference, held at Pullman Melbourne on the Park on 7-8 March. AOL Chief Executive Officer, Niki Ford, said this year’s award finalists cover some of the most recognisable brands and products available to Australian consumers. “It’s clear certified organics i ..read more

Five Sixty Farms is a family-owned organic microgreen farm located south of Lismore. The certified business is dedicated to producing the freshest and highest quality microgreens using sustainable farming practices. For those who don’t know, microgreens are young plants that are harvested when they are only a few inches tall, just after they have developed their first true leaves. These young plants are packed with nutrients and have a 60% to 80% higher concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than their fully grown counterparts. Microgreens are used as a garnish, added to salads ..read more

Forward thinking and community involvement are often key themes of organic businesses in Australia, and AOL Member Charles Higgins is a great example of these concepts. Charles is part of an expanding local co-operative in the Nambucca Valley region on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, where he and four other growers produce certified organic macadamias for the Australian market. Charles has 12 hectares of macadamia trees on his property. The decision to switch to organic came at a time when world pricing for macadamias was volatile, and the local Nambucca Valley growers wanted to establ ..read more

If you want to sound more knowledgeable about wine, there aren’t many better people to learn from than Mike Bennie. The renowned wine judge and writer recently delivered a private masterclass session for the recipient of the 2023 Australian Organic Wine Awards Associate Scholarship, as part of his role leading the expert judging panel for the awards. Here, he pops the cork on what was covered in the masterclass, with tips on how you can improve your own wine judging skills. Drinkability The classic wine judging system uses medals. I often suggest to people to think about medal ‘bandwidths ..read more

A unique opportunity to lease and convert into an organic operation. Highly productive lease opportunity located 7km from Longford in Northern Tasmania. 120 hectares, fenced into 29 paddocks, annual rainfall 256.1ml, 140 megalitre water right from Cressy Longford Irrigation Scheme. The property has been farmed in a conservative rotation with dairy heifers, hay and silage production. Suitable for converting back to organic certification – ideal for dairy, organic beef, organic berry operation and hemp industries.  For information regarding lease conditions or to arrange insp ..read more

BioAg is an Australian owned and operated manufacturer since 1999, offering proven certified organic liquid biostimulants and natural phosphate fertilisers. The company was formed to provide sound biological programs for agriculture-based soil and plants, at a time when suitable solutions and products were not readily available through conventional supply chains. BioAg’s development has been driven by conversations with farmers who wanted to do things differently and better but needed access to the right inputs to achieve those goals. Almost 25 years later, BioAg’s head office and liquids manu ..read more

Rugby league legend and 2023 Australian Organic Awareness Month Ambassador, Anthony Minichiello, has backed the push for stronger regulations around organic ‘greenwashing’. Now a qualified nutritionist, Mr Minichiello advocates for certified organic farming practices as a key element of a nutrient-dense diet. “There’s a lot of misleading marketing claims and fake studies out there that confuse people,” he said. “Organics is back to basics essentially – pure farming free of harmful inputs that gives you the most nutrient-dense produce. “The only way to know if what you’re eating is truly organi ..read more