Banana flour booming
Local company building offshore factory Excessive surcharges ban set to take effect
A WALKAMIN-based innovator has secured a deal to establish an overseas base for its operations.
Natural Evolution Foods founder Rob Watkins said up to 10 jobs would be created during the building and relocation of a “mega factory” in a South-East Asian country.
Those jobs will be ongoing and based in the Far North after the project is set up overseas.
“Our story is just at a start- up point and we’re going global,” he said.
“We have already got a fully international online sales platform,” he said.
“We want to always use Cairns as our hub because we can access everything.
“I’ve been saying for 10 years Cairns is going to be a business hub, we have proven we can design and manufacture for the rest of the world.”
Apart from its successful Banana Flour, the company also aims to grow its Green Banana Resistant Starch and new Banana Ointment.
The company has patented a manufacturing system that ensures consistent, high-quality processing.
It launched in Japan recently, with the UK and Europe to follow soon, and the US and Canada later in the year.
It has been a whirlwind journey for Mr Watkins and his wife Krista, who earlier this year took out a top prize at the 2017 Edison Awards for innovation in New York.
But, they have stayed grounded, despite their international success.
“Some people laugh and say ‘are you guys really still based at Walkamin?’ or ‘why haven’t you moved somewhere more central?’,” Mrs Watkins told the Cairns Post in May. “But they have no idea. We can be anywhere in just a few hours.”
They received $250,000 funding from the Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas Fund to help launch their business.
Innovation Minister Leeanne Enoch said Natural Evolution Foods was “a great example of why this government is investing in people and companies to help turn new ideas into new industries and new jobs”.
editorial@cairnspost.com.au facebook.com/TheCairnsPost www.cairnspost.com.au twitter.com/TheCairnsPost
THE ACCC is urging Far North small business owners to start preparing now for the ban on excessive payment surcharges that will apply to all businesses across Australia from September 1.
The new law limits the amount that a business can charge customers for use of payment methods such as EFTPOS (debit and prepaid), MasterCard (credit, debit and prepaid), Visa (credit, debit and prepaid) and American Express cards issued by Australian banks.
It came into effect for large businesses last year.
“Small businesses that choose to impose payment surcharges should review their surcharge levels to ensure they are compliant when the ban starts applying to them in under two months,” ACCC deputy chairman Dr Michael Schaper said.
“Businesses can only pass on to customers what it costs them to process a payment such as bank fees and terminal costs.”
The ACCC has published guidance material for consumers and businesses.
Visit accc.gov.au