Mentoring for business growth
Maria Lorenzo of Lakeland Produce in Far North Queensland found herself at a crossroads recently with her organic banana and papaya business. Needing to invest in both expanded water storage as well as enhancing her approach to producing her value-add product range, Maria was unsure of which project to tackle first.
To focus her approach, Maria completed a whole farm risk analysis and Farm Business Resilience Plan through Growcom’s Farm Business Resilience Program. Doing so allowed her to make an evidence-based decision to prioritise investment in further developing her value-add range, with profits from expanding this venture to go towards dam construction.
In pursuing the growth of her value-add product range, Maria sought business development advice from the FNQ Food Incubator. To help with the costs associated with this advice, Maria was successful in securing a QRIDA Farm Management Grant, which provides a 50 percent rebate on the cost of the FNQ Food Incubator’s services.
Maria plans to implement this advice through building a commercial kitchen. This will allow her to increase the development and output of value-add products like chutneys and jams.
The Rural Financial Counselling Service North Queensland (RFCS NQ) is also supporting Maria in updating her Farm Business Resilience Plan and applying for further financial assistance, like a QRIDA Sustainability Loan, as she works towards kitchen and dam construction.
Maria is also commitment to the ongoing viability and growth of other agribusinesses. In association with the Farm Business Resilience Program, she invited a group of growers to her Lakeland property for the ‘Building Resilience from the Ground Up’ workshop in July 2023.
Farming organically in an area with limited water supply means environmental stewardship is a vital aspect of Lakeland Produce’s success and mitigating future risks. So, Maria demonstrated to the group her application of best practice soil management and ecological farming practices that have allowed her to maximise the health of her farm and efficiently use natural resources like water.
Lakeland Produce’s story is one example of how developing a farm business resilience plan can enable agribusinesses to connect with organisations that can better their business and assist in making considered business decisions for the future.
This program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Queensland Government’s Drought and Climate Adaptation Program.
