The Pinnaroo Farmer’s lentil flour success as demand for gluten-free product skyrockets

The Lawson family’s paddock-to-plate lentil venture is off to a roaring start thanks to an accelerator program for primary producers.

Selling out: Phillipa Lawson and her husband, Skeet, with daughters Annabelle and Georgia. The family runs a cropping operation growing lentils at Pinnaroo, SA.

SOUTH Australian grain and pulse growers Phillipa and Skeet Lawson have discovered a strong new domestic market for their export-quality lentils as Australians search for locally grown foods during the pandemic.

The Pinnaroo Farmer Lentils.

The fourth-generation cropping operation at Pinnaroo produces wheat, barley and lentils, and recently started a value-adding venture, milling some of their lentils into high protein, gluten-free flour.

“My daughter was the main inspiration for turning our lentils to flour,” Phillipa said. “Finally I was able to get some protein into her diet. I found our lentil flour was the perfect way to thicken sauces and add nutrients to baked goods.”

Since launching an online shop on July 6, demand for the Lawsons’ flour has outstripped supply.

In four weeks, the family has sold more than 100kg of flour under their brand, The Pinnaroo Farmer.

Phillipa’s family has run the cropping enterprise for the past 90 years. She and Skeet took over operations about five years ago.

Phillipa developed the direct-to-consumer business plan while completing an accelerator program called Farmers2Founders.

“As bulk wheat, barley and lentil producers, we don’t have to market our produce to individual customers at the supermarket,” she said. “We basically have a few market options and then take the highest bidder. This program has certainly opened my eyes to the world of retail and customers.”

The three-month program is free for producers and supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, AgriFutures and Meat and Livestock Australia.

Fortnightly coaching and workshops are tailored to primary producers, aiming to help them create and scale new agtech, food-tech and food ventures.

For Phillipa, that included doing market research, creating a website and testing price points, all during a global pandemic.

“Going through this process gave me the confidence in our product and our business’ direction,” she said.

“As a primary producer, the COVID pandemic has definitely highlighted to us how lucky we are to live in a country that can support the nation’s food requirements.

“We saw a huge demand for shopping local and people having to change the way they cook as certain items were not available in supermarkets.

“Having a flour that is an alternative protein source has opened up opportunities for us.

“We haven’t even touched based on the fact it’s gluten free.”

Applications for round three of the F2F Ideas Program are open to farmers across the country, closing August 21.

To find out more, visit: farmers2founders.com

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