Inaugural Australian-Grown Innovation ‘Incubate’ cohort named at Hort Connections

On 6 June, the first cohort of Australian-Grown Innovation ‘Incubate’ participants was announced at a Hort Connections breakfast in Brisbane. This follows the launch of the program in March this year, which saw 72 participants from across the horticulture supply chain involved in engagement sessions held around the country.

The ‘Incubate’ cohort, which is made up of 14 growers, will participate in a six-week program designed to offer hands-on support via workshops and mentoring that will refine their inventions, and help understand market desirability and competition before bringing their products and services to life in a third ‘Build’ phase.

The new Hort Innovation initiative has been designed to drive innovation, working alongside levy funded initiatives, to tackle the most pressing challenges in horticulture and offer participants insights into global best practice in their areas of innovation.

In partnership with Startupbootcamp and Cluster Connect, the program today proudly revealed the members of its inaugural cohort.

Cohort participants:

  • ATEK Integrated Engineering, NSW
  • Pectin 360, NSW
  • Organic AG, NT
  • Bowen Gumlu Growers Association, QLD
  • SMA Marketing, QLD
  • Fresh Produce Safety Centre ANZ, QLD
  • Swaggie, QLD
  • REKO Australia, QLD
  • Sunnybrae Farm, QLD
  • Bureau of Meteorology, QLD
  • Corporate Roses, SA
  • Macro Group Australia, SA
  • Ace Apples, VIC
  • The Bee Buddy, WA

Brett Fifield, CEO at Hort Innovation, expressed his congratulations to the group. “We are thrilled to welcome 14 participants to the first cohort of the Australian-Grown Innovation Incubate program. We launched this program as we know growers identify incredibly effective solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face as an industry, but don’t often have the support required to bring their solution to life.

“There are lots of industry changing theories being explored in this first cohort, and we look forward to supporting the participants in bringing their ideas to life,’ explained Fifield.

Anna Barlow, Food and Agriculture Innovation Partner at Startupbootcamp added “We are excited by the combination of horticulture industry challenges and potential solutions the cohort will explore through the Incubate stage of Australian-Grown Innovation program and seeing how we can support the cohort to validate their ideas.”

“Following the Incubate stage, growers will have the opportunity to progress their ideas to a Build phase, which is a 12-week structured mentoring program to develop a test version of their idea and trial it in a real-world market environment.”

This program will run over the next five years. Those wishing to participate can learn more or sign up at https://www.frontiers.au/agi/

Cohort information:

Ace Apples

  • Participant name: Mark Trzaskoma
  • State: Victoria
  • Frontiers Themes: Healthy Living, Market Growth, Capability Building, Disruptive Technologies
  • Industry: Apple (Potential: Nut & Vegetables)
  • Company Description: Ace Apples is a B2B digital platform that unites fruit, nut, and vegetable growers to improve marketing, education, and supply chain transparency through QR-coded produce.

ATEK Integrated Engineering

  • Participant name: Armando Bompane
  • State: New South Wales
  • Frontiers Themes: Disruptive Technologies
  • Industry: Potential for Blueberries
  • Company Description: ATEK is developing a precision robotic gripper for bruise-free blueberry harvesting, helping growers reduce labor reliance and boost yield through scalable, real-world-tested automation.

The Bee Buddy

  • Participant name: Jessica Brunner
  • State: Western Australia
  • Frontiers Themes: Adaptation & Resilience, Capability Building, Disruptive Technologies
  • Industry: All
  • Company Description: The Bee Buddy is an all-in-one modular hive system making safe, affordable, and biosecure beekeeping accessible to families and future pollinators.

Bowen Gumlu Growers Association

  • Participant name: Jenn Honnery
  • State: Queensland
  • Frontiers Themes: Adaptation & Resilience, Market Growth, Capability Building
  • Industry: Capsicum, Mango, Tomato
  • Company Description: Bowen Gumlu Growers Association transforms waste produce into nutrient-rich freeze-dried ingredients and bioactives, helping food manufacturers and nutraceutical companies source premium, Australian-grown inputs.

Bureau of Meteorology

  • Participant name: Rachel Davis
  • State: Queensland
  • Frontiers Themes: Adaptation & Resilience, Disruptive Technologies
  • Industry: All
  • Company Description: The Bureau of Meteorology provides impact-based forecasts that translate weather and climate data into clear biosecurity risk insights, helping farmers and advisors make informed, timely decisions.

Corporate Roses

  • Participant name: Kim Syrus
  • State: South Australia
  • Frontiers Themes: Adaptation & Resilience, Market Growth
  • Industry: Nursery
  • Company Description: Corporate Roses develops simplified in-house propagation techniques for rose growers to reduce contractor reliance, improve production, and boost profitability with own-root plants.

Fresh Produce Safety Centre ANZ

  • Participant name: Farzana Adams
  • State: Queensland
  • Frontiers Themes:: Healthy Living, Adaptation & Resilience, Capability Building
  • Industry: All
  • Company 1 Line Description: Fresh Produce Safety Centre offers a mobile-friendly, visual food safety guide that helps growers easily understand and comply with regulations, boosting confidence and audit readiness.

Organic AG

  • Participant name: Volker Stoldt
  • State: Northern Territory
  • Frontiers Themes: Adaptation & Resilience, Market Growth
  • Industry: All
  • Company Description: Organic AG aims to mechanize and extend the growing season of organic basil, ensuring consistent high-quality supply to Darwin and Adelaide markets while maintaining soil health and certification.

Pectin 360

  • Participant name: Martin Kaderavek
  • State: New South Wales
  • Frontiers Themes: Disruptive Technologies, Capability Building, Adaptation & Resilience, Market Growth, Healthy Living
  • Industry: Potential for Fruit Industry
  • Company Description: Pectin 360 upcycles fruit waste to produce high-quality, reliable Australian-made pectin, helping food industry corporates reduce costs and enhance sustainability.

REKO Australia

  • Participant name: Jacki Hinchey
  • State: Queensland
  • Frontiers Themes: Healthy Living, Adaptation & Resilience, Market Growth, Disruptive Technologies
  • Industry: All
  • Company Description: REKO Australia empowers small-scale food producers to sell directly to local communities through low-cost, Facebook-based pre-order pickup rings, boosting regional food culture and reducing market risks.

SMA Marketing

  • Participant name: Aiden van den Berg
  • State: Queensland
  • Frontiers Themes: Adaptation & Resilience, Market Growth, Disruptive Technologies
  • Industry: Melons
  • Company Description: SMA Marketing is developing a sound-based device to help watermelon growers accurately assess fruit maturity and quality, improving efficiency and consumer satisfaction.

Sunnybrae Farm

  • Participant name: Ricky and Kirsty McGovern
  • State: Queensland
  • Frontiers Themes: Capability Building
  • Industry: Dragonfruit (Potential for Grapes, Passionfruit)
  • Company Description: Sunnybrae Farm offers durable, cost-effective trellis support solutions made from recycled materials that save small family growers time and money by lasting longer than traditional timber posts.

Swaggie:

  • Participant name: James Wills
  • State: Queensland
  • Frontiers Themes: Capability Building, Disruptive Technologies
  • Industry: All
  • Company Description: Swaggie is a workforce platform that simplifies hiring for farmers by connecting them with available workers quickly, reducing the time and hassle of finding labor.

Macro Group Australia

  • Participant name: Corina Javier
  • State: South Australia
  • Frontiers Themes: Adaptation & Resilience, Market Growth
  • Industry: Potential for Capsicum, Nursery, Chilli
  • Company Description: Macro Group Australia is developing a rapid test kit for early and accurate detection of tomato rugose fruit virus and related infections in tomatoes, capsicum, and chili crops, helping growers protect yields and reduce losses.