Delivering delicious nutrition by the tonne

This summer Abundant Produce harvested a bumper crop of super-sweet cherry tomatoes, and donated around two tonnes of these delicious vegetables to SecondBite, delivering delicious nutrition to Australia’s neediest families and individuals.

Over a million Australians regularly go hungry, and this food insecurity exposes them to increased risk from a range of diet-related illnesses including cardio-vascular disease and diabetes prompting Ian and Simone Carson to establish SecondBite in 2005, determined to deliver fresh nutritious food to those most in need.

SecondBite has now delivered over 50 million kilograms of food to over 1,300 community food programs across Australia and, following their commitment to nutrition, 75% of their food deliveries are of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Food security is at the core of what we do,” Abundant’s Chief Research Scientist, Dr Nabil Ahmad said, “All of our plant breeding takes place under harsh Australian climactic conditions. We deliberately expose the plants to stresses like diseases and high temperatures and salinity, then we select the plants that do best under these difficult conditions. This is completely different to conventional breeding, which takes place under optimal conditions and favours presentation rather than nutrition.

Our plants produce vegetables with less fertiliser, less pesticides and less temperature control, decreasing the impact of horticulture on the environment, and as well as increasing sustainability, our plants will grow better in those parts of the world where the food is needed most, places with harsh climates like Australia’s – in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Abundant’s tasty tomatoes are now being delivered by SecondBite to community food programs in the greater Sydney region, naturally providing some of Australia’s most vulnerable citizens with essential vitamins and minerals.

Abundant Seeds is a collaboration with Sydney University’s Plant Breeding Institute,” Dr Ahmad said, “so helping to feed the billion hungry people worldwide is an important part of what we do and we won’t ignore the hungry on our own doorstep.

A sweeping change

A change is sweeping through Australia’s cucumber growing industry, yielding big results.

Australian cucumber growers faced a challenging winter, dealing with extended cold periods, often with ice coating their greenhouses and losses of up to 40% of their crops due to cold strike (fruit scurfing).

Now they are planting summer crops and, with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology placing an 80% likelihood on hotter than average conditions (day and night) for November to January, heat stress is a major concern. Plants subject to extended periods of high temperatures, particularly when the thermometer doesn’t give them a break overnight, become more susceptible to pest and disease outbreaks, and can react by aborting their fruit. Grower yields plummet and, at worst, crops fail completely.

An expanding cadre of growersare facing the change of seasons with new confidence because they have a secret weapon. Plant Abundant Seeds. Making one tiny change, growers report greater cold and heat tolerance, more vigorous growth and fruit production, a longer picking cycle, and fruit with improved colour, shape and uniformity.

Abundant’s plants are healthier” “Abundant’s plants are more suited to my growing environment” “Next winter the full crop will be Abundant” “Will grow only Abundant cucumbers again next summer” These are some of the comments from growers who trialed Abundant cucumber seeds in 2018.

Sound too good to be true? Why should Abundant’s seeds be so much better?

Abundant Seeds teamed up with Sydney University’s Plant Breeding Institute (PBI) in 2011, and since then, plant scientists have been breeding cucumbers suited to Australian conditions and low tech (unheated, uncooled) greenhouses. This is in stark contrast with internationally sourced horticultural seeds bred in high tech, climate-controlled greenhouses in Europe or the United States.

Abundant Seeds’ absolute focus is to provide better options and better results for growers, and in turn superior fruit for consumers,” Abundant’s Sales and Operations Manager, Sarah Pearson said. “We produce high quality varieties, here in Australia for Australian production. We, and Australian growers, are enormously fortunate to have this collaboration with the University of Sydney PBI. Their scientists are able to breed plants that offer substantial advantages to growers without the need for major changes in crop management. For our first winter and spring season trials to be so successful and so well received by growers is proof that we are on the right track, and that there is strong demand for locally developed seeds.”

With all the scientific and breeding expertise on hand in Australia, Abundant seeds is also able to offer growers unparalleled after sales service.

We view ourselves as being in partnership with our growers,” Sarah Pearson said. “If they have an issue or technical question, I can get them an answer quickly. We are now working with the growing community on backing up our success over summer with many crops planted in the last fortnight, with a strong strike rate for germination. This sets up both growers and Abundant for an exciting summer and 2019.”

September 2018 Quarterly Review

25 October 2018

Abundant Produce released our September 2018 Quarterly Review and 4C form to the market today. The key highlights from the Quarter’s activities were:

  • $200k in cash receipts represents significant growth in market awareness and developing traction with customers
  • Abundant Seeds (AS) set a daily record for seed sales of 200,000 seeds sold in one day
  • Demand from farmers continues to grow, particularly in northern NSW and SA
  • Progress on international tomato program with seed production scheduled to commence in Chile over summer
  • $640k received through Federal Government’s R&D tax incentive scheme
  • Abundant Natural Health (ANH) preparing to launch on the JD Global sales platform ahead of Chinese Singles Day sales event
  • ANH products set to commence sales on two additional e-commerce platforms in China, Little Red Book and NetEase Kaola
  • Magnesium range set to launch after showcasing to pharmacy wholesalers, retailers and banner groups
  • ANH to showcase its range at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November
  • $2.7 million cash balance as at 30 September 2018

Talking about Abundant Produce’s quarterly performance, ABT Group CEO, Tony Crimmins said:

“Abundant delivered revenue of $200,000 in the September quarter, a pleasing rise from the prior two quarters. We achieved this growth through further establishment of our skincare and nutraceutical brands in the domestic market and growth of our seed business, particularly in northern NSW and the Adelaide basin. We expect to deliver continued growth in revenue as international sales develop for both ANH and AS.

“We earned an R&D return of $640,000, which augmented our revenue growth to leave ABT with a stronger cash position compared to the prior quarter. Next month we expect an Export Marketing Development Grant (EMDG) and an Innovation grant from the NSW government.

“Looking forward, we remain poised for further business development and revenue growth heading into Chinese Singles Day and the holiday season.”

To find out more information download the full report.

Abundant Natural Health expands e-commerce presence, securing 2 new platforms in China

20 July 2018

Highlights

  • Abundant Produce’s wholly-owned subsidiary Abundant Natural Health (“ANH”) has secured an agreement to range its products on two additional e-commerce platforms, Xiaohongshu (“Little Red Book”) and NetEase Kaola (“Kaola”)
  • Hong Kong-based Fohun International Limited, a specialist in marketing and managing Western FMCG brands in China, is representing ANH in its agreements with the two platforms
  • Agreement with Fohun to expand onto these platforms follows the recent announcement and upcoming launch of ANH’s online store on e-commerce giant JD Global’s platform
  • ANH to sell its full product range of branded nutraceuticals and cosmetics through both platforms, with launch on Little Red Book and Kaola stores targeted within 3 months

Abundant Natural Health Pty Ltd (ANH)

Plant intellectual property developer Abundant Produce Ltd (ASX: ABT, “Abundant”, or “the Company” is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement with Hong Kong-based Fohun International Limited (“Fohun”) to represent its subsidiary Abundant Natural Health (“ANH”) on e-commerce platforms Xiaohongshu (“Little Red Book”) and NetEase Kaola (“Kaola”).

The agreement with Fohun to represent ANH on these platforms follows ABT’s agreement with Hui Yi (Beijing) International Trade Co. Ltd, announced in early July, to manage ANH’s online shop on the Chinese e-commerce giant JD Global’s online platform, JD.com.

The agreement will see Fohun responsible for operating an ANH flagship store until 2020 to directly sell ANH products to Little Red Book and Kaola. Products ranged in the store and marketed to Chinese customers will include ANH’s full range of ActiveLyco infused face products, magnesium-enriched nutraceutical and salt skin cleansing gels. Fohun will create a store service team and be responsible for store licencing, maintaining and promoting the store.

Backed by Alibaba, Little Red Book is a social media e-commerce shopping app based in Shanghai, targeting 18-to-35 year old Chinese urban females. Users share shopping tips, swap fashion ideas and buy luxury fashion and beauty products from overseas. Founded in 2013, it has grown rapidly, with an estimated 30 million monthly active users in June 2018.

Kaola, a subsidiary of NetEase Inc, launched in early 2015 and has grown to become a leading comprehensive e-commerce platform mainly focusing on cross-border business. Kaola is the key strategic project for NetEase and has become the largest cross border e-commerce platform in China. It aims to provide Chinese consumers with high-quality products, competitive prices and quality after-sales service.

Fohun is a marketing and management company based in Hong Kong that sources products targeted to Chinese mothers and babies, creating partnerships with well-known brands including Kerastase Paris and Australia’s Aptamil and Nature’s Way, representing them to customers in China.

Abundant Natural Health CEO, Shanan Birkin, said:

“We are really excited to be working with Fohun International to extend our reach onto these two platforms, Little Red Book and Kaola, which will help ANH further grow its brand in China.

“Taking our products onto these two growing platforms will ideally complement our upcoming launch and presence on the JD Global platform in markets that are perfectly suited to our products.”

ANH’s flagship stores on Little Red Book and Kaola platforms are expected to launch within this financial quarter subject to the finalisation of the marketing implementation plan.