Agricultural leader takes out top honour at InDaily 40 Under 40 Awards
Our future is in good hands, as evidenced by the winners and finalists of this year’s 40 Under 40 who were announced at a gala awards dinner tonight.
Johnny Tran, CEO of Comfresh Group, was recognised with the prestigious First Among Equals Award at a gala dinner celebrating the state’s top young leaders aged under 40.
You might not know his name, but you’ve certainly tasted Johnny Tran’s fresh vegetable produce. From humble beginnings, the founder of Comfresh has transformed his produce business into one of the largest suppliers of fresh vegetables in Australia.
Johnny – a second-generation immigrant to Vietnamese parents – started in the industry by helping his mother sell fresh vegetables door-to-door.
“Like many other immigrant families, we relied on this, to support our family of four children,” Johnny, now 39, says.
“However, I saw the extortion, mistreatment and difficulties my mother had to go through dealing with larger wholesalers; we got paid very little for our efforts, and we were not big enough to have a voice.
“That’s why I started Comfresh. It stands for community. I gathered as many local growers as possible to be large enough to stand up for ourselves.”
Having gone from selling produce door-to-door, Comfresh can now claim to be one of the country’s largest suppliers of fresh produce to all major supermarkets Australia-wide and is in the top four suppliers nationally in categories such as tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.
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The award was presented by RAA in the William Magarey Room at Adelaide Oval, in front of more than 400 guests including the South Australian Premier, The Hon. Peter Malinauskas.
This year’s group of 40 outstanding young leaders and entrepreneurs runs the gamut of sectors, from farming to health research, manufacturing to aerospace.
Click here to read about the full 2025 40 Under 40 cohort.
40 Under 40 Alumni, Dr Catherine Grace was the keynote speaker at the event and spoke about the universe, self belief, embracing change, and pragmatic optimism.
Grace is a physician, clinical researcher, and science communicator who has held international roles in research, innovation, industry engagement, strategy and policy development. Grace has previously been recognised for her commitment to the scientific community with multiple publications, national presentations, multilingual community engagement, and education.
40 Under 40 Chair of Judges, South Australian director and investor Joel Abraham said when assessing the applicants, the judges looked at more than past achievements.
“To all the applicants, I say thank you, and to all the finalists I say congratulations,” he said.
“No matter what the result, you should be proud of your nomination, the courage you have shown in applying, and the work you have put in.
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“And to the winners – please continue to push forward, setting a great example, and continuing to make South Australia proud.”
The winners of the individual awards are:
Stavroula Adameitis – Creative Thinker Award, presented by KWP + Partners. Adelaide-born Stavroula only recently returned from interstate to Adelaide to set up a Frida Las Vegas shop in her hometown. With it, she brought a lot of colour to the city. Stavroula’s designs are known for showcasing her love of technicolour, Australian kitsch, pop culture references, ‘80s glamour and bogan culture.
Edward Robinson – Emerging Industries Award, presented by Piper Alderman. Edward Robinson was just 18 when he founded Robinson Aerospace Systems: an education company with a mission to “inspire students to pursue careers in space and STEM”. He was “frustrated with the long-outdated textbook style learning” that he’d experienced after graduating from high school in 2021. Robinson Aerospace Systems provides hands-on skills with tools such as the RASCube – “a flatpack educational satellite, enabling school students to build a replica satellite”.
Elaine Tang – Inspiring Future Leaders Award, presented by South Australian Business Chamber. In 2017, Elaine was still on maternity leave when she developed the first product by Melvory Skincare. A pharmacist by trade, Elaine was searching for relief for her children’s painful eczema and when off-the-shelf creams failed, she took matters into her own hands (and to the lab). What started as a DIY remedy has now grown into a nationally awarded, cruelty-free skincare brand —and is only just getting started. With a world-first innovation landing in 2025, Elaine is eyeing the global stage.
Rochelle Mutton – Social Impact Award, presented by Community Corporate. In 2009, occupational therapist Rochelle Mutton and her family sponsored a four-year-old boy who had experienced severe early childhood abuse and neglect, had multiple failed foster placements and was living in a shared residential care facility. Rochelle says his diagnoses of autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia and ADHD changed her perspective on neurodiversity and the “gaps in therapy services across allied health and medical sectors still to this day”.
Greg Stevens – Entrepreneurial Award, presented by William Buck. Greg Stevens is the founder of Core Ventures Group (CVG) – a seed-to-stage venture capital firm – as well as the general manager of agricultural technology company Seed Terminator. Greg says Seed Terminator is revolutionising weed management with mechanical harvest weed seed control. Meanwhile, CVG has developed outdoor living brands Billy Smoker, Solarpergola and SEA~T Collective, as well as the design and engineering consultancy Plant Grow Prosper.
Jason Wisniewski – Sustainable Business Leaders Award, presented by Terrace Floors + Furnishings. Jason Wisniewski co-founded disability support provider Vana Care with his friend Jesse Trout in 2021. Jason says the idea for Vana Care came after “a simple yet powerful” realisation while working with a client as a disability support worker. “We had an amazing session, engaging in fitness and social interaction. At the end of the session, the personal trainer thanked me, mentioning that most support workers typically wait in the car instead of actively participating,” says Jason.
Katharina Richter – Discovery Award, presented by CMAX. Superbugs are predicted to kill 10 million people annually by 2050, but biomedical researcher Katharina is leading a team to change that. Superbugs are antibiotic-resistant bacteria for which the Richter Lab is developing new treatments, including collaborating with veterinary and food scientists to develop sanitisers to improve animal wellbeing, decontamination processes, and create safer, sustainable food production.
Andy Lee – Game Changer Award presented by Adelaide Business School. In 2013, CrossFit was at the height of its popularity, yet friends Andy and Ben Dineen struggled to find apparel and equipment to complement their training. The pair identified a gap in the market and launched TWL from a bedroom in Adelaide, packing orders by hand and dropping them off at local gyms. Armed with a background in law and commerce, Andy helped steer the brand from grassroots hustle to national recognition.
Alec Randall – Food Innovation Award, presented by Betty’s Burgers. Founded in 2023, It’s Olio is a health-conscious, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil brand known for its squeezy bottle packaging. Alec Randall, founder and director of the brand, was inspired by cooking classes in Italy and wanted to bring a fresh, high-quality extra virgin olive oil to SA. The brand is 100 per cent SA-owned and directly supports local farmers and growers by sourcing its organic olives from the Fleurieu Peninsula. Its innovative squeezable bottle is reusable and was designed to make cooking effortless and enjoyable.
Emma Gilbert – Rural and Regional Award, presented by InDaily. South of Adelaide sits the small town of Clarendon, from which Emma Gilbert hopes to start a regenerative farming revolution. The Farm – Clarendon puts sustainability at the heart of farming practices, agriculture and ethical breeding. Emma specialises in breeding Highland cattle and rare heritage poultry, and has made a name for herself in the space due to a commitment to high-quality genetics, livestock longevity and responsible breeding practices. Meanwhile, Emma is also the founder of IncubatePro – a hatching app designed to flip poultry incubation on its head for breeders, farmers and enthusiasts.
Amber Brock-Fabel – Inspiring Female Leaders Award, presented by CityMag. At just 17 years old, Amber founded the South Australian Youth Forum, which grew into the state’s largest youth-led advocacy body. She forged research partnerships leading to world-first findings on youth loneliness and has worked with governments to address period poverty and mental health access.
