 |
|||||||||||
Newsroom |
|||||||||||
|
13 December 2007 Media Release Spirit of entrepreneurship alive in bush Whatever it takes to make an entrepreneur in the Bush, the one common thread is the will to "have a go". When Victorians Alan and Shelley Green hatched an idea to start their own free range egg business in 1999, they knew the risks were high. A brand name was almost ready-made - Green Eggs of course. However, to make it all happen the Greens had to invest $240,000 to build shedding, buy an automated egg collecting machine and other necessary infrastructure on their 1200 acre property at Great Western, near The Grampians. Alan and Shelley were already selling eggs to a few local outlets, but to market free range eggs by themselves, 100 percent under their own brand name, was a quantum leap. The fruits of their calculated risk, hard work and canny marketing were recognised when Green Eggs took out the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award Provincial Victoria 2007. Sponsored by Champions of the Bush Inc. and the Swinburne University Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, the award recognises businesses and organisations who have demonstrated real innovation and entrepreneurship in provincial Victoria. It is the latest in a string of awards won by Green Eggs. "You've got to promote the brand. You've got to promote yourself out there because we are the brand," Alan said. "By nominating for awards such as this, it makes you focus on your business plan," he said. What started as a 2000-hen operation has now expanded to 18,500 hens, with Green Eggs now supplying premium free-range eggs to 150 clients across Melbourne. "We supply 30 restaurants in Melbourne with eggs twice a week," Alan said. Green Eggs is a very hands-on business, with Alan and Shelley personally attending farmers markets all over Melbourne to sell their produce. "Green Eggs has a huge following in Melbourne. We sell at six markets a month," Alan said. "Shelley and I go down and stay the night. We find the city exciting, but we enjoy being able to return to the country." One thing you notice about Alan is that he is a talker, a communicator and a listener and he believes aspiring entrepreneurs have got get out there, ask questions and most importantly, work out a business plan. Alan researched the free range egg market for two years, speaking with poultry farmers right along the East Coast to Brisbane. "A lot of farmers have some incredible skills. They are multi-skilled, but they canŐt see a way ahead. They just work on a gut feeling," Alan said. He offered some clear-cut advice to farmers with a business idea. "The first thing that producers have got to do is look at their farm as a business," "They've got to make business decisions, not just sit back and count how many sheep they have or how many acres they've got to harvest. "Farmers have to make a business plan. Once they've got that, they have a good, solid base to make decisions on," Alan said. Alan said engaging the services last year of The Goods Unlimited (a brand and sales ambassador business in Melbourne) had been a major plus for Green Eggs. "The Goods concentrates on positioning, managing and growing our accounts in food service, food retail and premium on-premise market segments," he said. "Virginia Ranicar, our Goodist, is one hell of an asset," Alan said. "When the drought started to bite, Virginia was able to manage Green Eggs" business relationships and explain why high grain prices had forced up egg prices." Green Eggs is currently producing almost 10,000 eggs per week and has nine effective full-time staff. The Greens plan to add another 4000 hens to their flock and put in a new grading floor. In 2006 Green Eggs won The Weekly Times Rural Business of the Year Award. This year Green Eggs also took out the Powercor Grampians Pyrenees Business Achievement Award and the Primary Production category of the same award.
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
