Food producers across the state are uniting to promote their regions but also overcome challenges for their businesses.
Overseas, food clusters are commonplace, helping local businesses to work collaboratively, but in SA it is a relatively new concept.
The Northern Adelaide Plains Cluster, which was formed in late 2018, is bringing together the whole value chain in the state's largest horticultural area and the Limestone Coast Food & Agribusiness Cluster, which is in its infancy, also has some big plans. In the Murraylands, one enterprising individual is creating a physical hub for local food businesses.
NAPC chairman Barrie Lloyd says growers realise that together they can achieve much more than as individuals.
The cluster has seen growers from the Northern Adelaide Plains partner with government, industry organisations, training bodies and the local Regional Development Australia with about 500 people involved.
In meetings last year Mr Lloyd said the cluster identified three key areas- the cost of water, waste management and labour shortages - which were holding back the foodbowl.
They have already gained some funding for training horticulture workers, are working on a solution to recycle 1000 tonnes of plastic waste produced each year in the area, and are close to putting in a submission to SA Water on fairer water pricing.
In the Limestone Coast, the driving force behind their new cluster has been Danielle England from Keilira who was producing vegetables on their farm when she recognised the opportunity to sell the story of the region better.
She says the other innovative producers she met were working hard within their businesses but there was not much happening with regional promotion or a place where the value chain could come together.
"Across the world the Limestone Coast is widely recognised for our word class wine, top of the range crayfish and beef and beautiful grains but yet in daily life businesses we are not promoting ourselves like we could be," she said.
"We can get fresh produce to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide within a day and we have a mild climate with good underground water which gives a whole lot of climate stability."
Ms England says everyone has been very supportive of the cluster concept since it was first floated in November last year.
There are about 35 interested people and the Limestone Coast Red Meat Cluster has partnered with the food cluster. They have just held a successful food forum.
"The time is right, people are eating local and shopping local and during these COVID times they can't go travelling so they are saying 'let's spend a bit more on our food and experiences in our own backyard'," she said.
Mypolonga local Kelly Johnson is also determined that her area will become recognised for its rich diversity of local produce.
"Thirty years ago it was a really rich area for fruit growing but then the region got hit hard when water allocations dried up and business disappeared but there is so much here again now," she said.
"We need a way that people can buy the olives, the pomegranates, the apricots without knocking on farmers doors or trespassing in orchards."
Within two months a disused church in the town will become the base and new retail outlet of her two year old business, Woodlane Orchard, which has outgrown her home kitchen. Four other local producers will trade from the site which will include a cafe.
People want to see where their food is from and how it is made and when they turn off the highway they are surprised at how much is here.
- Kelly Johnson, Woodland Orchard
Ms Johnson's business started when she turned a tonne of unwanted stone fruit as a favour to a friend into dried fruit but since then Woodlane Orchard has grown exponentially. It pays farmers for their excess produce and value adds it into snacks and meals.
"I grew up on a dairy in Victoria so I know how hard farmers work and so to think they weren't being that well paid to start with for what they produced and that some of their hard work was going to waste was horrifying," she said.
"We now go all over the state and bring back citrus from the Riverland, strawberries, pears and apples from the Adelaide Hills and zucchinis and tomatoes from Virginia."
Woodlane Orchard has 30 stockists in SA and Vic and even a couple in NSW but Ms Johnson is committed to bringing people to the source of her food too.
"People want to see where their food is from and how it is made and when they turn off the highway they are surprised at how much is here," she said.
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