Agribusiness: Why We're leading the way in SA

This may have been true up to the 1950s, but roll forward to today and we in South Australia are still an agribusiness-driven economy, you just have to look at the numbers.

• Agribusiness is an $18.2b a year industry that employs one in five of us.

• South Australian wine makes up 70 per cent of Australia’s premium wine exports.

• Exports of differentiated and processed food and wine is to exceed $3.5b this year.

We punch above our weight and are known around the world for our premium food bowl. This year, Adelaide joined the Great Wine Capitals Global Network adding to the state’s global reputation for premium food and wine tourism.

One of the reasons for this reputation has been our ability to have a go, adapt, try new things and innovate. And there is no better time than now to be innovating and growing your business. The South Australian government has named agribusiness as one of the state’s key strategic priority areas.

This means millions of dollars of investment over the next few years into agribusiness to drive innovation, research and infrastructure in this sector.

There are many growing SA businesses that are staking their claim as innovative world leaders in the premium food and wine sector.

This competition, the Hot100, is known for championing new ideas, methods, and adapting to (or indeed disrupting) the palates of today’s consumer. This competition has opened local wine makers to new and emerging markets, such as Singapore, and above all else champions drinkability.

Think of a Shiraz with a splash of Gewürztraminer… who would have thought? We did.

Another example right outside our door gaining worldwide attention is Sundrop Farms – already a global leader in sustainable agriculture, growing fresh fruits and vegetables using renewable energy and sea water. This truly is farming of the future – a hi-tech, capital-intensive system growing food sustainably and cleanly for the masses – all located in rocky, arid country where southeast Australia’s cropping zones meet the Outback and annual rainfall is less than 250mm. Pretty cool stuff right on our backdoor.

Agribusinesses are leading the way with a reputation for food safety, world class products, iconic brands and world leading food and agricultural research. All backed by our clean environment. In the five years that PwC has supported the Hot 100 Wines we have seen enormous growth across a whole range of agribusinesses, all championing the cause as a world leader in this space, and to that we raise our glass.

James Blackburn – Partner, PwC
pwc.com.au