The Executive Committee of Organic Industries of Australia
You can contact us at enquiries@organicindustries.com.au
Greg McNamara (Chair)
Greg McNamara is chairman of Norco Co-operative Limited, where he has been a director for 20 years. Greg was asked by the AOIWG to be an independent Chair, as he is not associated with any existing organic industry organisation and does not operate an organic business.
In partnership with his wife Sue and son Todd, Greg runs a 300 head dairy herd at Goolmangar just outside Lismore. He has extensive experience across the agricultural sector, including dairy, beef, pigs, horticulture and animal genetics.
Greg is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a keenly sought after speaker for industry events and forums. During the 2015/16 year, Greg was a speaker at both the ABARES Outlook Conference and the PEI Agri Investor Forum and also attended the Australia and New Zealand Co-operative Leaders’ Forum.
Greg has recently accepted the role of Chairperson of the Industry Advisory Group (IAG) within the Farm Co-operatives and Collaboration Pilot Program (FCCPP). The FCCPP is an Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper initiative of the Commonwealth Government which encourages farmers to work together to improve farm gate returns by providing advice and resources to farmers and farmer groups looking to establish co-operatives and collaborative business models.
Anni Brownjohn (Secretary)
Anni Brownjohn founded Ozganics in Murwillumbah in 1999. After years of winning prizes for jams and sauces, she decided to let my entrepreneurial streak shine. Anni built the organic company from scratch. Her father, a retired engineer, helped her design some of the machinery and build the factory. At the same time, with a small team, she developed new products, sought out domestic and international markets and opened international offices.
In 2008, the Ozganics brand expanded to include a range of simple and delicious simmer sauces based on well loved recipes from Thailand, Morocco and India. Today Ozganics brand offers 26 products and exports to 20 countries.
Anni is proud that she can generate employment in a regional area and promote best practice organic systems for organic food manufacturing. She also feels very privileged to share with customers a message of health, wellness and certified organic food.
Anni and her team have won many awards over the years, including the Innovation Award at the 2013 National Telstra Business Woman of the Year awards. It reinforces that quality organic food manufacturing is being recognised and has a place in our economy and our market. With a growing awareness of health and what we put in our bodies, this industry is set to burgeon.
Chris McLoghlin (Treasurer)
Chris McLoghlin is a director of the Organic Federation of Australia. He is also the founder and director of Earth and Sky Organics, an on-line fresh produce distribution business, as well as a supply chain consultant to other organic businesses and primary producers, and founder and co-owner of The Organic Mushroom Farm—it markets the Mycelia Organics brand, one of only two certified organic mushroom farms in Australia, comprising a team that includes over 100 years experience in mushroom production.
Chris is actively involved in development of supply chain and financing solutions for organic businesses and producers, recognising a need to modernise and improve some of these aspects in the industry that have limited the growth of the sector, despite a strong demand environment, and engaging key stakeholders within and outside of the organic sector to ensure required resources can be applied to facilitate the growth in production of organic goods demanded by consumers and our environment.
A love for good dirt inspired Chris' career in organics, observing that a limited window exists for humans to disrupt and re-organise our economic paradigm of extraction and destruction, to being one driven by custodial behaviors in symbiosis with the natural capital we depend on for survival—targeting mutually beneficial and profitable trade relationships.
Marg Will
Marg Will is CEO of Organic Systems & Solutions, which provides assistance for business involved in organics or considering "becoming" organic. OS&S is also the Project Manager for the MLA / AOM Project "Increase Organic Beef Production on Australian Farms". Marg also provides the secretariat for the Organic Industry Standards and Certification Council (OISCC), the body responsible for maintaining the Organic Standard in Australia.
Marg was previously General Manager at The Organic Food Chain Pty Ltd, an organic certifier, for 10 years.
Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson is the CEO of the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia, which develops and maintains organic standards; assists operators in gaining organic certification; and develops the organic industry in Australia.
The scope of NASAA's Standard covers the organic supply chain – from input manufacturers to producers, processors to wholesale and retail operations - ensuring organic integrity 'from paddock to plate'.
NASAA Certified Organic (NCO) is a fully-owned subsidiary of NASAA and provides the certification services to operators within Australia, its Territories, and internationally.
Peter Longhurst
Peter Longhurst founded the Primal Foods Group in 1999. His company provides access to global markets for locally grown ancient (also termed alternative) and organic grains. His company continues to develop its ability to deliver a broad competitive product range, high levels of service, in particular certified bulk grain supply, and a degree of flexibility and transparency that competitors find difficult to match.
Primal Foods currently has 337 growers, operating in every state of Australia except NT. We assist producers with all aspects of grain marketing including long term crop programs, agronomy, access to inputs, and logistics.
Peter wants to make organic wholefoods accessible to as many people as possible. The bigger the organic market, the more organic growers and suppliers that we have in Australia and the better the access to market—the closer we get to making organic grain a significant part of mass consumption in Australia.
Sam Statham
Sam Statham is an organic farmer and wine maker, and has been an active member of the organic industry. He is currently chairman of the Cowra Region Vineyard Association. Sam has also worked as a farm auditor for an organic certifier.
The Statham family moved to Canowindra, in the NSW Central West, in 1996, and today they grow wine grapes (20ha), olives (10ha) and figs (1/2ha). The farm, “Rosnay”, is now part of a small group of organic growers called Rivers Road Organic Farms, under community title.
Rosnay was recognised as a pioneer in organic farming in 2012, when Sam was awarded the Inaugural NSW Organic Pioneers Award.
Susan Shelton
Susan Shelton is the Organic Certification Facilitator at Bellamy's Organic, Australia’s most valuable organic food brand, specializing in certified organic formula and first foods for children. Susan has a background in soil science and spatial information that aligned with an introduction to the organic industry from a neighbouring cherry grower 10 year ago. This introduction led to technical, training, auditing, and consultancy roles within a large range of industries—rangeland, aquaculture, dairy, horticulture, viticulture, meat, cropping, international growers, wineries, bottlers, canning, grain processors, abattoirs, bakeries composters and importers.
Bellamy’s Organic is a listed Australian company founded by a Tasmanian Family in 2004 wanting to provide a convenient nutritious organic choice for their children. It’s organic food range is certified by NASAA and their product are made and packed in Australia, maintaining some of the highest food safety requirements within the world.
