Big native plant future

The conference was attended by 70 people who have a keen interest in native plants/foods and the market place.

Guest speakers spoke about various possibilities and the future of native plants.

“In the past two years we have had this huge surge of international interest into Australian food and culture,” Australian Native Food and Botanicals (ANFAB) chairwoman Amanda Garner said.

She said the aim of the conference was to show people who were interested in native plants what the opportunities were in local and national markets.

“This day is to see where the market is at, what the opportunities are and to get universities, traditional owners, farmers and marketers to get together into a trusting environment and work together,” Ms Garner said.

Source Certain International executive chairman Cameron Scadding explained how consumers could be persuaded to purchase items through a story.

He said being honest about a product was important so trust could be formed between the supplier and customer.

Australian native food has a strong tie to the indigenous culture and history in WA, with native produce from the Great Southern to the Kimberley.

“The main driver is consumers wanting to know where their food comes from and what is the promise tied in with it,” Mr Scadding said.

The success of native foods will come from the branding and the story.

If a product can be marketed as authentic to a region then consumers may be more attached to the idea and the provenance.

Mr Scadding said consumers had lost trust with global supply chains who were extremely complex and the message could get lost.

He said ‘Made in Australia’ provided comfort to consumers but if there was no trust from the consumer then the Made in Australia idea could be tarnished.

“The source matters and consumers want line of sight to where their products come from,” Mr Scadding said.

There may be a new market for Australian native plants as demand for authenticity grows.