Where would the world be if the disciplines of agriculture and technology hadn’t intertwined for the greater goal of humanity’s progress? How else would our economies sustain, if not from exporting agricultural produce backed by quality-enhancing technologies? Would we have leveraged the benefits of agricultural revolutions across the world, if it weren’t for this reformative amalgamation? These questions unveil the amount of emphasis there is on the progress and development of the AgriTech sector across the globe.
To bring your attention on the motive of this particular idea about exploring the AgriTech landscape, which is of seeking and unveiling innovative solutions and technologies, we at Insights Success are privileged to introduce The Olive Feed Corporation.
Most organizations, in some or the other way, strive ceaselessly towards catering to certain requirements of a particular industry and customers. On a similar notion, The Olive Feed Corporation, through its proprietary cooking process, has derived a solution to use olive waste as an animal feed which harnesses all the benefits of Olive Oil, significantly improving the quality of meat and animal health.
The Olive Feed Corporation’s reformative animal feed increases the Oleic acid content of meat, which lowers the melting point of fat, giving it a softer and juicer texture. Glutamic acid, which is essentially flavour, increases by over 50%, creating an amazing umami and distinctive sweet-buttery flavour in the meat. The Monounsaturated fat ratios within the meat also increase, compared to saturated fat which gives a lighter eating experience especially in Wagyu Beef. All of these aspects together lead to incredible tasting meat that allows the farm to add significantly to the bottom line, simultaneously having a positive effect on the environment. Meanwhile, in the distribution chain, there are enhanced performances. Farmers, distributors, restaurants and retailers make higher margins, while the end consumer receives a healthy meat, all the while acknowledging that they are reducing their carbon footprint.
Personifying Innovation
Any organization, to sustain and thrive in the global market, requires a proficient leader who is innately passionate and driven towards the organization’s mission. Similarly, The Olive Feed Corporation’s helm of progress and widespread recognition, is at the hands of its CEO, Gavin Dunne.
It was Gavin’s love for food and cooking that led him to testing various cooking methods on olive waste. This ultimately led to the discovery of the organization’s proprietary cooking process which has since been patented. Since then, for Gavin and the team, it has been about putting a structure together internationally to make the business work.
“We built a production line with the leading Olive Pomace factory in the world Elsap SA in Nafplio, created a brand suitable for such a prestigious animal feed, and have since proven the concept around the world about how Olive Feed improves meat quality and leads to increased profitability for farmers,” states Gavin.
Gavin, with great concern, expresses his opinion upon the gravity of the resulting effects of disregarding the appropriate technique or process of creating animal feed out of olive waste. He states, “We have seen some companies try to use olive waste as an animal feed, jumping on the back of what we are doing without doing their research. They soon realize its not safe to give Olive waste to animals in its regular state as it causes digestibility issues as well as health problems. There are innumerate studies out there for the last 70 years showing this but I guess there are always going to be some people who try to cut some corners.”
Surpassing Adversities
Challenges and adversities are a part and parcel of entrepreneurship and the pertaining surroundings. Gavin and The Olive Feed corporation have also had their fair share of challenges. The most prominent among them being the prolonged strife of getting organizations like the EU, and even their own government’s publicly funded bodies to recognize what they are doing for the environment.
Gavin emphasizes on the fact that apart from being the only entity in the world using olive waste in a 100% environmentally friendly way, The Olive Feed Corporation has achieved a visible reduction of Methane gas production when feeding animals with Olive Feed animal fodder.
“Not a single Irish Journalist has cared to look into this despite being made aware, our country’s publicly funded body showed little interest at the top of the organization, wanting us to privately fund any studies done in Ireland on it, despite Methane gas production being Ireland’s single biggest agricultural problem,” Gavin expresses.
Additionally, Gavin states that the European Union’s environmental bodies have completely ignored dozens of letters and attempts to bring their attention to what the organization has been doing. “It’s quite sad really as it highlights the dark reality that none of these organizations or people involved in them really care about the environment,” he adds. However, one organization in Ireland – Bord Bia, helped the company a lot in its overseas challenges, and Gavin asserts that it is no surprise they were chosen to represent the European Union to market its products around the world.
One other challenge that The Olive Feed Corporation regularly faces, is that of exports. The company’s central product is a feed for Wagyu cattle. The challenge there is that these cattle are few and far between in Europe, and therefore while The Olive Feed Corporation has a small number of customers in Europe, its business has to be conducted mostly in Australia, Asia and the United States. “Passing Bio-security audits from the Australian government was an expensive and time consuming process, but ultimately passing their stringent controls has made us a better company with a flawless production system,” states Gavin.
Envisioning Excellence
The Olive Feed Corporation has developed a unique traceability software allowing retailers and consumers to see exactly what they are eating and where its coming from. The company hopes that this will eventually become the standard in the industry, in the near future.
The Olive Feed Corporation is now expanding into different markets, developing products for Ducks, Pigs, and Horses. Gavin hopes that within a few years these products will be recognized as the best animal feeds on the market, for not just producing exceptional meat but also as health and wellness products.
“By hiring the right people, and selectively dealing with farms that have a personal touch and care for their animals, we can grow in a sustainable and healthy way keeping in line with our environmental ethos,” he concludes.
Gavin Dunne | CEO | The Olive Feed Corporation
