Uralla farmers Anita Taylor and Sarah Burrows have developed an on-farm abattoir supplying ethically processed and sustainable meat.
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Their lightweight, mobile platform will be able to process cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer, and kangaroos.
They will trial their prototype as soon as possible, then move to commercial production.
They are among many small businesses supported by Jobs for NSW’s Local Innovation Network (LIN), a $2.1 million state government scheme to develop regional entrepreneurship, and support startups and small to medium enterprises.
Ms Taylor and Ms Burrows developed their start-up company, Red 8 Produce, with the help of LIN member, the UNE Smart Region Incubator (SRI).
The UNE SRI focuses on New England and the North West.
“We are a founding member of the SRI, and worked out of there until we grew to a point where we could move to our new base at Uralla,” Ms Taylor said.
They are still involved with the SRI, which provides networking; access to an expert in residence; mentoring; and functions with speakers like Virgin Startup Program founder Ian Mason and TechLadies founder Elisha Tan.
“The SRI has been of great value to us,” Ms Taylor said. “It’s a broad group of people who offer unconditional support, and it has grown into a significant part of our community.”
The SRI, Ms Burrows said, provided shared resources, and a collaborative and safe place to plan their business – certainly better than a kitchen table while trying to manage a family.
The LIN will help Red 8 Produce to partner with like-minded suppliers and butchers, Ms Taylor said.
“We want to make farmers more sustainable; keep local communities alive with work; and also provide consumers with high quality, ethical and sustainable meat.
“We’re not going into competition with the big blokes, or trying to replace abattoirs.
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"Our product will cater to a niche market that is looking for provenance, traceability, and a lack of additives.”
Because livestock will be processed on site, they will never have to leave the place they were born, and can be naturally reared in a stress-free environment, Ms Taylor said.
Other LIN organisations are in Bathurst, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, and Wollongong.
“The LIN helps develop entrepreneurs in each of the seven regions by removing barriers that isolate startup founders from each other, and links them with the Sydney startup community through the Sydney Startup Hub and its Regional Landing Pad,” Ms Cook said.
The Sydney Startup Hub – founded a year ago – offers free accommodation for regional entrepreneurs wanting to visit Sydney for business, or to tap into its startup ecosystem. Over the past year, the Regional Landing Pad has hosted 1072 meetings involving entrepreneurs from regional NSW.
The Regional Landing Pad offers free startup space for regional entrepreneurs based outside Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle,” Ms Cook said.
“Regional entrepreneurs can visit for up to three days at a time to meet with other startups and potential business partners, investors, and service providers.
“It offers 12 dedicated startup desks, a 12-seat conference room and meeting rooms with video conferencing facilities.
"Visitors also get access to events and networking sessions hosted by incubators like Fishburners, Stone & Chalk, Tank Stream Labs and The Studio."
For information on the Local Innovation Network, visit https://www.jobsfornsw.com.au/funding/regional-support/regional-innovation
For further information on the Sydney Startup Hub’s Regional Landing Pad and to book a free visit, visit https://sydneystartuphub.com/regional
