Western Australian business and seasoned exporter, Rare Foods Australia (RFA), is garnering global attention for its sustainably grown Greenlip abalone.
Since achieving Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification in June 2022, RFA has seen a rise in enquiries from overseas buyers. Currently, RFA supplies over 20 per cent of the world’s wild-caught Greenlip abalone.
The company is working with Austrade to find new master distributors in its key export regions. Austrade is also advising RFA on new markets such as Vietnam, Canada, India, and the Middle East.
“Our partnership with Austrade provides support and confidence,” said Alex Wilson, RFA’s general manager – sales and marketing.
“Austrade’s broad network and expertise across multiple markets is revealing exciting, tangible opportunities for our business.”
In 2009, RFA embarked on a world-first project to build a Greenlip abalone ‘ranch’.
The company used patented technology to build 10,000 ABITATS™ or artificial reefs to grow the abalone. The ABITATS are in Flinders Bay in the protected Ngari Capes Marine Park.
The abalone are left to feed from the ocean for three years, then harvested. This sustainable process greatly reduces supply volatility and also produces abalone that are almost identical to their wild-caught counterparts. In 2021–22, RFA achieved a record harvest of 81.7 tonnes.
In addition to its own Greenlip abalone production, RFA exports wild-origin Roei, wild Greenlip, and wild Brownlip abalone from local quota holders.
Asia accounts for 76 per cent of RFA’s abalone sales. It has been exporting abalone to Hong Kong – its biggest market – for over 10 years, and is now looking to roll out a master distributor model across other regions.
“Our aim is to expand globally,” explained Wilson.
“We’re developing a group of master distributors who on-sell through distributors and wholesalers. If we could get master distributors in Europe, Vietnam, India, Middle East and Singapore, on top of existing clients in other Asian markets, that’s nearly our whole harvest done.”
RFA is one of only 11 enhanced wild-caught fisheries worldwide to hold MSC certification, and is the first fishery in the world to be MSC-certified for Greenlip abalone farming.
“The MSC certification led to a surge in enquiries from high-profile overseas businesses looking to buy seafood from accredited, sustainable sources,” said Wilson. “This includes major hotel chains that are mandated to only purchase from sustainable sources.”
In October 2022, RFA won the Western Australian Export Awards for Sustainability. It also became a finalist at the Australian Export Awards held in November 2022 in Canberra.
To learn more about RFA, visit here.