Innovatia

Yaru Water: A First Nations Australian entrepreneurial company goes national

“and Nimbin was noted for its excellent butter back in the day.” But the bottom fell out around the turn of this century, as most premium dairy operations cen- tralised in the more suitable climate of Victoria. In short, extreme challenge met imagination to create opportunity. Tessa’s European back- ground was also a likely influence, as regular consumption of quality mineral water was com- paratively uncommon then in Australia. “My great grandfather was attracted to this land because of its natural springs,” Shaun said. “We actually brought in a water diviner to evaluate the wider territory, a fellow who under- stood these things.” They learned that the farm sits on a vast underground aquifer, accessible at a depth of 90 metres. The water contains, like the best in Europe, natural amounts of magnesium, calcium, and other essential minerals, which give a very slight but important difference in taste compared with pure water products. Tessa also notes that the natural PH of the water coming out of the ground is 7.5, another key criterion for the increasingly discriminating Australian consumer. The business started from humble beginnings in 2007, in an old dairy shed. What followed was simple hard work, entrepreneurship, and the usual risk involved in taking on bank loans, as infrastructure was progressively built. This is still a relatively small business in comparison to the global drinks’ giants, but it is also an impecca- ble and efficient factory, with a state-of-the-art bottling operation, sophisticated German ma- chines, conveyor belts, and high-speed packag- ing facilities, creating the capacity to bottle up to 60 million bottle each year.

The company was founded on two basic one-litre products – still and sparkling mineral water – with room for alternate sizes and shapes to enter the market. Now, through the use of different moulds, one advanced machine can produce various bottle shapes and sizes in both recycled PET and glass for different customers and sectors, including a range of naturally fla- voured sparkling mineral water. “As much as it is about clean water and promoting good health, Yaru Water is about the taste of social justice and the betterment of community.” One effective growth strategy has been tack- ling the corporate market along with retail. Sig- nificant turnover can be attributed to deals with the likes of Qantas and other corporate business buyers. “In spite of all the usual difficulties, not to men- tion Covid, which we have weathered, you could describe our progress as year-on-year growth,” Paul said. Yaru Water had a vision for expansion, and they took the first big step by getting their prod- ucts into a major supermarket chain. “We were fortunate that a very senior executive at Coles took the interest to actually visit us here,” Shaun said. “They like to see this level of infra- structure, and efficiency. They want reliability.” As a result, the brand’s product line became widely available in Coles nationally across the country.

By John Keeney

Yaru Water has grown to national success through collaboration and innovation while building a market underserved by local products, and now it’s going beyond the call to deliver a valuable social service, too. A n Australian mineral water which stacks up against San Pellegrino? Here it is – from the lush rainforests of Northern enous Australian Paul Dodd, and multi-genera- tional non-Indigenous Australian farmer Shaun Martin and his wife Tessa, a Dutch Indonesian who emigrated here nearly 30 years ago.

NSW comes Yaru Water. The roots of this contemporary story of inno- vation and collaboration go back many thou- sands of years to a time when the Bundjalung Nation lived across this intensely green terri- tory, lined by ancient volcano rims. The venture is a cooperation between Indig-

Shaun’s great grandfather established the farm in 1904, and it soon grew to 700 acres. In those days and successive decades, dairy farming and timber were successful enterpris- es in this region. “Dairy was once very big,” Shaun recalls,

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