THE dream of Golden Triangle "farmer" Doug Cush became a reality yesterday, with the official opening of his fully operational flour mill. It was the final link in a chain used to take durum wheat "from the farm gate to the gourmet dinner plate".
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Despondent with marketing attitudes and prices for durum wheat, Mr Cush set out almost six years ago to turn an "18-cent per kilogram commodity" into a product with real value.
His first step was to purchase a pasta mill from Melbourne, which he set up in the Taminda industrial estate, making the most of Tamworth's favourably priced land and eager workers.
This enabled Mr Cush to do the unthinkable – sell pasta to Italy and do it successfully – something akin to taking coal to Newcastle.
On the day of his West Tamworth mill opening, Mr Cush said shoppers could buy his Bellata Gold pasta from more than 500 stores across Australia and beyond.
As well as being sold to Italy, Bellata Gold is exported to America, the UK, Dubai and Korea.
"The object was, and still is, to grow the industry," Mr Cush said.
"Why do we (as a nation) keep growing commodities when we should be shipping them to the world as quality products?"
The new mill means Mr Cush can guarantee Bellata Gold pasta is free from any contaminants by controlling every step in the production process – from the fields of his Saltwell property, to the milling and production of the pasta in Tamworth.
Member for Gwydir John Anderson – credited by Mr Cush for securing the $576,000 grant through the Regional Partnerships Program – officially opened the Bowlers Lane mill.
Mr Anderson commended Mr Cush for his persistence in making the mill happen and sympathised with what he thought must have been a very patient Mrs Cush.
"The only blight (on his persistence) was when mobile coverage reached the fields, Doug was then able to talk to us (politicians) from his tractor," he said.
Mr Cush thanked the many people – including family and friends – who made each step of Bellata Gold a winner, perhaps one of the most notable being NSW Department of Primary Industries durum breeder Dr Ray Hare.
Mr Cush also acknowledged his grandfather, who landed on the black soil plains almost 100 years ago with only his farming knowledge.
Mr Cush said Asia was the next goal for Bellata Gold and if success starts to outstrip what his farm can produce, then maybe he might contract other North West NSW durum growers.
