10 minutes with… Neutrog Australia managing director Angus Irwin
Angus Irwin leads Neutrog Australia – one of South Australia’s top companies and a leader in organic fertilisers. Business Insight asked the managing director about the company’s history and its role in the circular economy.
Neutrog is an SA success story, but it didn’t happen overnight. When did you feel like you really ‘made it’?
While I can recognise how much Neutrog has grown since we first began, I don’t know that I feel as though I’ve ‘made it’, which probably goes some of the way to explaining what motivates and drives me.
That said, Neutrog would be nothing without the people that have made up our workforce over the years and creating a business that gives me the capacity to provide jobs for people in a regional area, makes me immensely proud.
How left-of-field was your decision to go down the organic route back in 1988? It seems like a no-brainer these days.
Back then it was viewed as a very ‘out-there’ approach, considering at the time traditional broadacre farmers were very fixed on using synthetic fertilisers. However, in the horticulture industry, chicken manure had been relied upon for generations and it was this group who helped Neutrog to establish ourselves as a trusted partner.
I realised early on that the farmers and growers who purchased our products, were putting a great deal of trust in us insofar as they were reliant on the performance of our products to earn their living in order to feed their families. This is a responsibility that I have taken very seriously since inception, and still exists as much now as it did then. As such, we have always done everything in our power to produce top quality products that can be relied upon to perform.
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What does Neutrog do to exist within the circular economy?
We work to help solve critical sustainability problems at a local, national and international level. In doing so, we play a role in addressing one of the world’s most pressing challenges – that of feeding a growing global population at a time of diminishing arable land.
Neutrog solves an important environmental issue of managing bio-waste from chicken production facilities in SA. We do this by taking receipt of chicken litter (which is the bedding material from a chicken shed) and re-purposing it into valuable biological and nutritional farm and garden products.
Our products are used by farmers, growers and gardeners to address issues of nutrient deficiency in soil, plant stress and overall land productivity, without the need for traditional chemical treatments.
You’re on a bit of a tear lately – talk me through some recent highlights.
We are right in the midst of a major growth phase. Last year we made our first business acquisition, that of liquid fertiliser manufacturer Rutec in Tamworth. We also announced our plans to build a new Research and Education facility in SA.
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Earlier this year we released a new premium super compost called CHOCKABLOK which has quickly become one of our most successful new product launches.
This all comes as we are sending record quantities of our product overseas to horticultural and agricultural producers in Vietnam and Cambodia as well as expanding into other new markets.
How is the American market for Neutrog?
America represents exciting opportunities for us. Our biological inoculant, POPUL8, is being trialled in almond orchards in the US and given the US represents over 80 per cent of global almond production, the potential we see in this industry alone is very exciting. There are also broader opportunities across other primary production, particularly given consumer-led pressure to improve both the quality and quantity of food, using environmentally sustainable and responsible methods.
And New Zealand?
New Zealand is a fascinating market due to its proximity, climate and the intensity of its farming practices. Intensive food production has unique challenges in managing pathogens. Being able to offer solutions to farmers to manage those challenges is one of our main drivers. The development of our new laboratory at Kanmantoo, with a BC2 laboratory (which allows us to conduct trials using soil and microbes from overseas) will be a gateway to not only New Zealand, but other export markets.
Talk me through your plans for the Adelaide Hills education facility. Why is that important?
There is a lot of interest in what we do, and we currently host more than 1500 site visitors per year. Demand for education in this space continues to grow across industries, schools and the community. We are also increasingly involved in cutting edge R&D, often in collaboration with universities. The new research and education facility will expand our current on-site laboratory capacity four-fold and has capacity to accommodate 80 people in the adjacent education space.
You’re still heading the business after all this time. When do you think you’ll pass on the reins?
That’s not something on my radar right now. The possibilities for Neutrog feel limitless, and I am so excited by what lies ahead that it makes it very hard to imagine not being here as it all unfolds.
What else is in the pipeline for Neutrog?
We’re in such a dynamic growth stage that the pipeline is constantly expanding. One particularly exciting initiative involves our collaboration with UniSA. Our R&D team is working with UniSA on a research project into how individual microbes from Neutrog’s storage bank can play a role in human antibiotic resistance, which is a huge issue worldwide.
