Food and Agribusiness Network helps Australian food and beverage businesses scale through collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth.
Industry connections and collaborations are key drivers in innovation. The food and beverage sector is not shy of them, especially since it is the most interconnected industry with complex supply chains. While innovations for higher outputs and business growth are invaluable, the industry can only remain resilient with catalysts that sustain it.
Take food waste as an example. Food waste in Australia holds serious environmental and economic consequences. A 2021 National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study found that Australians discard about 7.6 million tonnes of food across the supply chain each year. This costs the economy around $36.6 billion. Food waste contributes roughly 3 per cent of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions and uses about 2,600 gigalitres of water to grow food that is ultimately thrown away.
The second largest contributors to food waste, other than households, come from agriculture and food production. The land used to produce this wasted food covers more than 25 million hectares. Australia’s National Food Waste Strategy has set a goal to halve the country’s food waste by 2030.
Recent years have seen a plethora of partnerships between brands and charity organisations to fight food waste and address food insecurity. It has also seen new innovations and growth projects that show potential to add value to food manufacturing. However, to catalyse innovations that serve the industry, a support system and guidance are required to scale ideas to fruition.
Understanding this is Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN), working to grow the industry by creating an ecosystem that supports collaboration, accelerates innovation, and drives trade locally and globally.
Cluster Connect and IGP
One of FAN’s focuses is on strengthening and streamlining connections across the food value chain. A way the organisation does this is through programs like Cluster Connect. Cluster Connect is the Industry Partner Organisation (IPO) for the Australian government’s Industry Growth Program (IGP).
The IGP is for startups and businesses with high growth potential who want to transform and scale up with innovative projects. The program helps build Australian manufacturing capability with advisory services and grant opportunities.
Cluster Connect is powered by five Australian agrifood clusters – one of them being FAN – representing a network of more than 6,000 member businesses, stakeholders, and supporters. With a collective output value exceeding $10 billion, these clusters work together to provide tailored support, strategic connections, and programs to help food and agribusinesses innovate, grow, and achieve sustainable success.
Pectin 360
Taking part in Cluster Connect is Pectin 360, founded by chief executive officer Martin Kaderavek. By converting fresh fruit waste into valuable ingredients, the company is pioneering advanced, energy-assisted manufacturing to produce pectin and fibre in Australia.
Image: Pectin 360
Pectin is a natural gelling and thickening agent found in fruits. Traditionally, pectin is imported after undergoing long, high-temperature, and chemical-heavy processes overseas. The company is developing an energy-efficient process to extract pectin from local citrus and apple by-products. This creates a zero-waste, circular economy solution for food manufacturers that rely on these essential ingredients.
With a transformational extraction process that takes materially less time and energy compared to conventional methods, this approach not only reduces carbon impact but also supports local supply chains. Furthermore, Pectin 360 is looking to co-locate on a large-scale fruit waste generator’s site. This includes a large fruit juice manufacturing facility, taking the fresh fruit waste at the source and converting it into valuable ingredients for the food industry such as pectin, fruit dietary fibres and orange oil.
After making their submission for the IGP, the process of being advised to get in touch with Cluster Connect was quick and fortuitous. The support received was broad. It included mentoring, technical guidance, and introductions to investors and industry partners.
Pectin 360’s pilot plant will allow them to validate the process and produce up to 100 kilograms of pectin for testing with potential buyers in sectors such as jams, yoghurts, confectionery and nutraceuticals, which is likely to produce up to 10,000 tonnes of these food products. As the pilot plant moves forward, Pectin 360 is laying the groundwork to scale for a larger commercial facility to produce 100 tonnes of pectin per annum. This will help build a more sustainable, circular, and self-sufficient Australian food industry.
GS Engineering
Michael Hayes, director of Queensland-based GS Engineering, was also introduced to Cluster Connect through the IGP. In the food and beverage sector, he believes one of the biggest challenges is building the infrastructure and supply chains needed to realise the potential of Australia’s high-quality organic food production.
With this in mind, the company, in partnership with OTH, has jointly presented its Multi-Purpose Dryer (MPD), redefining sustainable food processing. This organic dryer delivers cleaner, faster, and more cost-effective results using less energy and space than traditional spray or freeze dryers. Capable of efficiently drying almost any organic material, the technology positions GS Engineering at the forefront of next-generation food drying solutions.
The IGP recognised the potential of GS Engineering’s driers and supported its inclusion as a technology with strong commercial and sustainability prospects. Compared to rotary and spray dryers, the MPD dryer’s footprint is 60-80 per cent smaller while milling simultaneously, eliminating the need for an extra mill.
With more than 40 years of industry experience backed by PhD studies in coal-fired power generation, Hayes said the innovation has been recognised and elevated through FAN’s network with experts and industry leaders. This is critical to the growth of Australian manufacturing.
Hayes also sees strong value in collaboration between government and business, provided those involved can adapt quickly to changing conditions.
Growth at its core
Other SMEs supported through the program include Airiel Solutions, founded by Suzanne Kambuts. The company aims to help food and beverage manufacturers reduce emissions and improve sustainability through smart air-quality and energy management systems. Second Squeeze, founded by Brent Beauchamp, turns surplus and imperfect produce into nutrient-rich juices and functional beverages.
Through Cluster Connect’s programs and partnerships, businesses are supported to scale sustainably by building commercial capability, driving innovation, expanding market access, and fostering strategic collaborations. The program also assists companies in securing investment, navigating grants, and promoting well-being. This helps create strong, resilient, and future-ready workplaces.
Alongside Central Coast Industry Connect, FermenTasmania, Food and Fibre Gippsland, and Noongar Land Enterprise, Cluster Connect gives SMEs access to curated event delegations, capacity-building programs and workshops, and connections to facilities, stakeholders, and the wider agrifood ecosystem.
From waste-to-value technologies to smart manufacturing solutions, the program is driving innovation across Australia’s food and beverage sector. It is helping businesses tackle sustainability challenges, boost competitiveness, and create high-value opportunities.