// AgriStart has announced its 2020 HARVEST cohort of 12 innovative agtech and ag-related businesses.
Twelve ag-related businesses have been chosen to participate in Agristart’s third year of their HARVEST accelerator program.
The dozen include a diverse mix of startups tackling a range of problems in agtech, foodtech, value-add food, logistics, sustainable farming practices, agri-tourism and education.
At the launch, 2018 HARVEST graduate James Williamson from Latitude 28 said how the program had raised his company’s profile, added strategic skills and plenty of direct introductions to supply partners, investors, government and industry bodies as some of the key benefits of the program.
Liam O’Connell, Executive Director at Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) – see photo above – HARVEST’s major partner, spoke about DPIRD’s continued support of innovators in the agri-food industry through the HARVEST program, and made the announcement that evokeAg, Asia Pacific’s largest agri-food tech event, will be held in Perth next year.
Over the next 3 months, HARVEST will focus on future technologies for agtech and food innovation, creating relevant connections and new collaborations for the cohort.
The program will feature workshops, mentoring, industry panel discussions, agri-corporate speed dating, and industry field trips including a site visit with Airbus, bootcamp at Muresk Institute’s Smart Farm,and a wheatbelt field trip.
Now in its third year, HARVEST has graduated more than 30 teams and companies.
The 2020 line up of innovative businesses are:
Exponant
… focuses on robotic technology that adds value to the workplace, endeavoring to maximise ROI while at the same time creating safer workplaces. They are interested in supporting technologies for horticulture harvesting and are prototyping robot technology for strawberry harvesting.
Cowaramup Brewing Company
… focuses on improving the sustainability of its products and processes. The removal of grain after brewing is a waste management issue that could be solved through the development of innovative high value products from brewery waste, such as alternative protein powders, muesli bars or cereals.
Stellular
… is creating readily accessible, high-speed communications services in remote locations. Applied to the agricultural industry, this will improve yield, efficiency and profitability through the use of innovative, data-intensive solutions such as real-time airborne imaging for crop health analysis and remote veterinarian diagnostic services.
Gelavo Pty Ltd
… is a first to market, dairy-free, vegan friendly ice cream that has no coconut or tree nut base. The product was developed by Curtin University food science alumni to deliver Australia’s first shelf-stable avocado based ice cream, and also reduces food waste by using second-grade avocados and other fruits.
Feral AI Pty Ltd
… is like Siri for farmers, a digital assistant helping farmers grow and sell more food. Farmers easily add data to the app which is analysed using artificial intelligence. Feral.AI then provides actionable insights for farmers on how they can improve productivity and also notifies farmers on offers they receive from buyers.
Loafers Artisan
… is a wholesale bakery that focuses on innovative products using WA grown and processed grains, including lupins, and is able to test new products made with heritage grains and shelf stable dietary breads.
Catel
… is an online fractional investing marketplace uniting farmers and investors through their food and fibre creation. The platform will disrupt the challenges farmers face around financial capital raising as well as simplifying and introducing a new way to invest.
Emu Lane
… will look to utilise excess production from multiple producers to create high value products, rather than letting it go to waste or used for low value return. They aim to assist in creating more product diversity in local food ranges.
WA Backyard Oats
… are oat growers launching a 100% WA sown, grown & processed oat range to local and international markets. Bringing together WA premium produce, they aim to create a WA premium oat range offering muesli, a “bake at home’’ convenience range and of course traditional rolled and instant oats.
Hippie Food Company
… is an organic kombucha brewery, and are pioneering a reuse model, to help reduce unnecessary waste & packaging. Through like-minded industry partners, they’re looking to connect the dots towards a circular economy business model, that supports all parts of the ecosystem and delivers better value to their clients.
Mortlock Malt
… is WA’s first independent craft malt producer, creating fully traceable premium quality malts that are grown, harvested and malted on their 5th generation family farm, using sustainable agricultural practices.
PrimeX
… will enable the agri-food industry to have input into the educative promotion of their businesses by harnessing the content that industry would like consumers to better understand and packaging these messages into a first-hand practical experience.
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For more: https://www.agristart.com.au/harvest-accelerator
Photos Supplied.
Editorial Note: a “Baker’s Dozen” is actually 13, due to the medieval custom of giving a 13th loaf away with every dozen. We just liked the pun in the headline. Sorry about that.
