The physical food and agribusiness ecosystem in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions of South East Queensland presents a promising opportunity for growth and collaboration. However, a clearer understanding is needed to enhance access to and cost-effective sharing of distribution, packaging, and infrastructure among stakeholders in the region’s food and agribusiness industry.
Eager to foster cooperation among local agrifood-related businesses for mutual benefit, the Food & Agribusiness Network (FAN) has partnered with regional planning experts from Queensland University of Technology (QUT)’s School of Architecture and Built Environment. Together, they are embarking on a project to map the agrifood ecosystem.
This research collaboration, supported by Future Food Systems (FFS) and led by QUT’s Associate Professor Severine Mayere, has two primary objectives. Firstly, it aims to support FAN in advancing the Sunshine Coast-Noosa region’s food and agribusiness sector to a more mature stage of development. Equally important, it seeks to develop a comprehensive understanding of the key players within the region’s agrifood ecosystem.
The research
The project team will canvass and evaluate the current landscape in terms of:
- Ecosystem members and their roles;
- Patterns of production and distribution;
- Services, resources, finances, and information flows within the agrifood sector;
- Availability and accessibility of both soft and hard supporting infrastructure.
Through this initiative, FAN and its partners aim to create a thriving, interconnected agrifood community that can drive economic growth and innovation in the region.
Electropops, Sunshine Coast, produces its range of healthy iceblocks on site. The company is a member of FAN. Credit: Electropops
The goal
With a comprehensive understanding of its members—who they are, what they offer, how they distribute their goods, and the services, resources, information, and infrastructure they use and need—FAN aims to help its Noosa and Sunshine Coast members access these resources more cost-effectively.
The initiative encourages constructive collaboration among complementary players to unlock potential benefits. By fostering teamwork in areas like packaging, distribution, and the development of new storage facilities and shared infrastructure, the goal is to achieve economies of scale.
“FAN is excited to collaborate with QUT researchers in this FFS-backed project, designed to enhance our knowledge of stakeholders in the Noosa-Sunshine Coast agrifood ecosystem,” Nicole McNaughton, CEO of the Food & Agribusiness Network told Future Food Systems.
“With a better understanding of the region’s agrifood landscape, FAN will be able to help local food and beverage-related businesses connect and realise opportunities for value-adding. This in turn will help create skilled jobs in the region and boost the local economy,” she said.
Lead image: FAN member Sean McGowen from Montville Coffee. Image courtesy of the Food & Agribusiness Network, FAN