Three Western Australian food and beverage producers are exporting to Singapore for the first time through a McGowan Government-led initiative to explore new trade opportunities for local businesses.
The Agri-Innovation Precinct initiative, led by the State through the Peel Development Commission in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA, Shire of Murray and GrowHub, enables small businesses to trial export and market test their product in Singapore.
GrowHub, founded by Fund Singapore, facilitates the export and overseas marketing of the products in the trial and is a key strategic partner of the WA Food Innovation Precinct (WAFIP).
While the WAFIP is currently under construction, GrowHub has moved ahead of the game by market testing WA products through its international connections.
The current export value through the initiative is $1.2 million per year, and is forecast to increase around 300 per cent within the next two years and expand trial shipments to Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Last month, Wide Open Agriculture signed an exclusive agreement with GrowHub to distribute their oat milk OatUP in Singapore.
Producers including Thorny Devil, Small Things Wine, House of Honey, and Black Barley Australia have now joined Wide Open Agriculture to trial product in Singapore.
As stated by Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
“This initiative opens up opportunities for smaller WA producers to trial their products in the Singapore market, putting local businesses on the path to larger-scale exports.
“Our December shipment includes craft beer and cider, handcrafted wine in cans, raw honey and black barley in addition to Wide Open Agriculture’s recent 40-foot container shipment of its OatUp milk to GrowHub.
“The WA Food Innovation Precinct is already getting runs on the board for local food producers before it has even opened its doors – a fantastic achievement for the Peel region and the State.”
