Next on the Menu

The Global Head of Food and Agribusiness Startup Innovation at Rabobank, Anne Greven shares some of the best and brightest startups and entrepreneurs from around the world that are bringing innovative and actionable ideas to many global Food & Ag companies. Anne also reviews the innovation lessons she’s learned in the last 12 months or so; and discusses her thoughts on future market opportunities and challenges in the food and ag space. 

Anne has spent over 15 years at Rabobank, but has always had a focus on the food, beverage and agriculture side of things, including with her private equity clients in her prior role at the bank. Given her focus, Anne also leads FoodBytes! - Rabobank’s food and agriculture innovation platform, which drives collaboration between startups, corporate leaders and investors to develop solutions to food system challenges. Under Anne’s leadership, the platform has become a key driver for many of the bank’s sustainability goals and strategies. 

Adrian Turner lives and breathes innovation and of late, he's turned his attention to the world of pork. Adrian co-founded a business called Exoflare, which is a data-driven biosecurity risk management system for pork farms. APL has been collaborating deeply with Exoflare and in this ep. Adrian shares the latest with our hosts, Billy and Mitch. 

Adrian spent 18 years in Silicon Valley building some incredible businesses before returning to Australia in 2015. Most recently, Adrian has been appointed Deputy Chair of Prezzee and is leading the Minderoo Foundation’s Fire and Flood Resilience Initiative. Prior to this Adrian was the founding CEO at CSIRO’s Data 61, the team that led the development of the national AI roadmap, the standards advisory work for consumer data rights and open banking, and the ICT stream for the national genomics mission. He was also founding co-Chair of Austcyber, the national program to create a new and vibrant cybersecurity industry in Australia. Author of the eBook, BlueSky Mining, Adrian is regarded as a thought leader on Australia’s industries of the future.

Brodee Myers-Cooke simply has us hanging off her every delicious, tasty word in this episode. As Editor and Chief at taste.com.au, Brodee served us up the latest trends, meal ideas and top picks just in time for Christmas. Brodee knows everything there is to know about what makes Australians come back for seconds and she’s extremely generous with offering up her perspective and insight. From air fryer pork crackling to the ‘new kale’ to what keeps shoppers up at night, this episode covers it all.

Brodee is the Editor and Chief of taste.com.au and bestrecipes.com.au - Australia’s most successful brands. Brodee has successfully launched several sub-brands, including taste.com.au's health platform.  Brodee has received numerous accolades such as Brand of the Year in 2019 for taste.com and Journalist / Producer of the Year in  2016 at the B&T Women in Media Awards.

Professor David Hughes aka. Dr Food, is well established as being completely in the know when it comes to global trends in food, meat and the retail sector. Couple that with his enthusiasm and passion, this conversation is incredibly entertaining, thought-provoking and sets the scene for what’s coming next in the retail meat category.

Dr David Hughes is a Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London, and the Royal Agricultural University in the UK. David is a renowned speaker who has a constantly evolving and informed view on global food industry developments. He helps organisations understand the commercial implications of change in their industry and how they might respond to combat threats and embrace opportunities. David has lived and worked all over the world and has extensive experience as an international advisory board member with food companies and financial service organizations on three continents. David’s views are frequently sought by media and those within the industry.

Well, we made it! A season wrapped and with the end of 2020 in our sights – what a year it’s been! In this special Christmas episode of Next on the Menu we have a chat to Charlotte Gilbert, General Manager Meat at Coles to find out more about their approaches to the pork category, sustainability and alternative proteins.

After this our co-hosts, Andrew ‘Billy’ Baxter and Mitch Edwards, recap season one and share the key outtakes from each episode. If you haven’t tuned in yet, or missed some episodes, we’d encourage you to give this section a listen, as Billy and Mitch give you a little inspiration as to what episodes may be the most relevant to you – just in time for those New Year road-trips or, if you’re restricted, for listening while relaxing on the beach! Have a Merry Christmas and thanks for your support this year.

Phil Morle is a Partner at the CSIRO's venture capital fund - Main Sequence Ventures. They invest in deep tech founders who are building unimaginable new companies with a strong connection to research. Prior to this, Phil was the founder of Australia’s first Silicon Valley style incubator, Pollenizer. Here, Phil played an instrumental role in developing the startup ecosystem across Asia Pacific and advised some of the world’s biggest organisations on practical ways to deliver new growth and the cultural change that is required to get there. Phil shares the latest on Australia's alternative protein developments and where he believes the future of agriculture is heading.

Not only is Dilhan F. Fernando responsible for the success of the world’s most renowned tea company, Dilmah Tea, Dilhan has huge aspirations for himself and the organisation in the sustainability and social license space. Dilhan is the son of Dilmah founder, Merrill J. Fernando, and while he continues his father’s work with Dilmah, he also is trustee of the Merrill J Fernando Foundation, Sri Lanka’s largest private humanitarian organisation. Dilhan shares with us the importance of legacy, corporate responsibility, ethics and transparency – all significant and relevant to the wider Australian agricultural sector. Scattered with food for thought and uplifting words from Dilhan, this episode aims to evoke sparks of change in how we think about business today.

In this episode we speak to Tony Lowings, Global CEO of a universal family favourite - fast food giant, KFC. Whilst extremely busy managing the $26 billion business that comprises more than 24,000 restaurants in over 147 countries, Tony generously sat down with us to share his thoughts on the future of food. Tony provides insight on the innovation culture at KFC, his predictions for what’s coming next and what he believes sets pork apart. Whilst host Mitch Edwards pushes for Kentucky Fried ‘Pork’ and the best kept secret in history – the Colonel’s 11 herbs and spices recipe – our co-hosts both use this opportunity to extract insights from an incredible thought leader. Do not miss this episode.

APL has a new strategic five-year plan with a bold and audacious ambition – to make Australian pork the nation's preferred protein and sustainably add $1 billion to farm gate value by 2025. In this episode, Mitch and Billy chat with CEO Margo Andrae to understand the direction and vision for Australian pork and the progressive culture and values she is building at APL. They talk through the actions, the goals and how the organisation will work collaboratively to ensure Australian pork remains affordable for shoppers, safe for workers, responsible to the planet, considerate of the animals, nutritious for consumers and viable for our producers. 

Renowned chef, Nino Zoccali has a fiery passion for good produce and amazing food. Nino grew up in country Western Australia, his family farming in the region for almost 100 years. Today, Nino remains committed and connected to agriculture and the land. At just 25, he opened his first restaurant in Margaret River and today he owns and operates two of Australia's most awarded Italian restaurants in Sydney. In this episode, Nino shares his take on rebuilding consumer connections to the supply chain, where pork will fit on post-COVID menus and his urgent message to both APL and our producers, in cementing a sustainable future.

Stephen has a passion for 'fair' which makes absolute sense considering his role at Fairtrade Australia & NZ (Commercial Partnerships Lead) sees him responsible for helping businesses in Australia source coffee and cocoa from cooperatives in developing countries and thus makes sure our businesses here are tapping into ethical sourcing options. Stephen also worked in the pork industry previously for over 12 years and with a keen interest in food, including a specific fennel dusted crackling on his roast pork, Stephen confidently delves into some big issues for our pork producers - including traceability, climate change, innovation and consumer demands.  

Luke Leyson didn't quite realise the wild ride he was in for when he first signed up to butchery. In fact, it was supposed to be a stepping stone to a career as a chef. He's now adamant that being a butcher deserves the same 'rock-star' status as chefs get these days, that he's stopping at nothing to ensure that happens. He's represented Australian on the global meat stage, is using social media to amplify his voice and, from his corner of the world in Adelaide, is making huge strides in profiling and innovating Australian pork. 

We could listen to Melissa Clark-Reynolds, a futurist from New Zealand, for hours... Believe us when we say, Melissa has the most incredible insights and predictions for what's coming for the global meat industry and she shares what she picks are the biggest challenges and opportunities for the Australian pork sector. Not only is Melissa brilliantly clever she has the ability to break issues down and pinpoint the most important facts and explain them in a way, that put simply... just clicks. The youngest women to attend NZ university at just 15, Melissa describes her career as an eclectic mix but officially, is known as a social entrepreneur, professional director and futurist, where she works with companies, particularly around the application of new technologies. She was awarded the Order of NZ Merit for Services to Technology in 2015 and in 2007 she was the first New Zealander to train with Al Gore as a Climate Project presenter. She’s passionate about championing climate and sustainability issues and most of her work involves the future of food and agriculture.

Welcome to Australian Pork Lt’s new podcast ‘Next on the Menu’ hosted by APL Chairman, Andrew ‘Billy’ Baxter and GM of Business & Innovation, Mitch Edwards. As co-hosts, Billy and Mitch, have lined up guests selected to challenge Australian pork producers, and those interested in the future of food, on how they operate their businesses and how they think about innovation and opportunities.