Julie Oster

Hatch Program 3

1 Nov 2022

About

Julie and her family live on a mixed cropping farm in the Yorke Peninsula, and have grown chickpeas for 12 years as part of their sustainable crop rotation. Having raised her 4 children, Julie was looking for an opportunity to expand her skills, look for diversification opportunities on the farm and increase the value of their produce.

The Idea

Looking at the crops on farm, Julie identified that the chickpea, although great for soil health, didn’t have the largest gross margin. Julie knew the nutritional value of the chickpea however and having created recipes with the chickpea as a main ingredient knew the opportunity it had to be a staple food option. Julie understood the growing desire for plant protein and the usage of chickpeas in different cultures and for different demographics as a staple food base. Julie came to the program proposing a refrigerated ready to eat chickpea (similar to vacuum packed beetroot) that would be found in the fresh food aisle and could be eaten straight away in salads or side dishes.

"Hatch and grow your ideas in a supportive network of industry professionals"

What's Next?

Julie is going to explore the support the South Australian government provides that promotes and encourages Australian produce, and particularly South Australian produce for the export market. Julie is creating some recipe cards that she will take to local markets to explore tastes and offerings and also provide to some friends to trial and provide feedback. Julie is very keen to continue working on her venture and will explore other Farmers2Founders programs in 2023.