FAR north Queensland agri-innovators Rob and Krista Watkins are taking their award winning technology to the world.
From their base at Walkamin on the Atherton Tablelands, the couple developed a banana flour scientifically proven to be the world’s highest tested resistant starch source using NutroLock, a process which preserves fresh fruits naturally and quickly without the need for additives or preservatives.
Natural Evolution recently won two awards – Best Proven Product at the 2016 Tropical North Queensland Innovation Award and the Innovation in Sustainable Technologies Award at the 2016 Premiers Sustainability Awards in Brisbane – and the couple now has its sights on expanding the technology world wide.
“This is great and makes you realise how far you have come,” said Krista Watkins.
“We always believed we would just make banana flour, but this is more than just banana flour.
“Every Natural Evolution product you buy supports Australian farmers, applying the best farming practices, made in an international certified pharmaceutical facility using NutroLock technology designed in far north Queensland and scientifically proven to lock in nutrients (20-50 times higher than competitors).”
NutroLock, developed and refined over five years, is attracting world-wide interest.
Mr Watkins said more product would be needed over the next 10 years to meet market demand, with technology the key to growth.
“Our factory is undergoing an upgrade so it can be run anywhere in the world via an iPhone, and we have developed our own software system that can monitor the process,” he said.
Mr Watkins said the company hoped to start marketing flat pack modules of the factory in mid-2017 and had been contacted by third-world countries interested in using the technology to create new industries.
“We are going to develop a flat pack module for the factory so everything fits in a container – easy, smart installation and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to install,” Mr Watkins said.
“We are currently searching and receiving interest to form partnerships and license to utilise this technology into other countries who can also value add with the incredible benefits of this process and produce the highest grade products in the world, the same as we do here in Australia.
“What started as a food has become a medicine.”
The couple also plans to release a book about the banana next year.