This article was first published on the Ecosystems Innovation Substack by John Stubley, with sub editing by Sol Slattery and Shenali Perera. Follow Ecosystems Innovation for more insights from our colleagues in Western Australia on the world of restoration.
Sometimes it takes a whole ecosystem to grow an ecosystem. That is what’s happening at the moment with a crowd-funding campaign for the regenerative food company Dirty Clean Food (DCF).
DCF has been working with regenerative farmers across Western Australia since 2019, linking their products to conscious consumers in Perth.
In this time, DCF has been working with 25 regenerative farmers across a total of 35,000 hectares of land under regenerative agriculture. That means 35,000 hectares with reduced chemical inputs for land, plants and animals in favor of holistic approaches to improving soils, water cycles and on-farm biodiversity.
And this regenerative ecosystem of ecosystems translates to a range of products including premium meats (including grass-fed beef and lamb, pasture-raised pork and chicken); pastured eggs; organic fresh fruit and vegetables; line-caught, humanely-processed, sustainably-sourced seafood; breads and pantry staples; drinks; chocolate; ready-made meals such as pizzas; and, more recently, pet food.
Just as the health of the fruit is dependent upon the health of the tree that produces it, so these and all products are determined by the health of the ecosystem that grows them. Thanks to the eco-systemically conscious choices of farmers who work regeneratively, consumers who think similarly are able to choose the outcome of such work in the products that are created.
And thanks to Dirty Clean Food, such farmers are able to have a clear and dedicated route-to-market, while consumers are able to access exceptional and better-tasting food of assured provenance and quality; all while knowing that the ecosystem that creates such food (including the farmers) is not being depleted but, rather, restored.
Producers, distributors and consumers all need one another. Unlike large supermarket chains which can seek to inflate their own growth at the expense of producers and consumers, regenerative distributors such as Dirty Clean Food are part of an ecosystem of production, distribution and consumption which seeks and requires health and balance, just like any ecosystem.
Now—after around eight years, and $56 million in sales, including over 2 million ethical-food and regeneratively-farmed products supplied to 35,000 customers across retail, restaurants and direct home delivery—DCF are seeking to expand product offerings, strengthen the business, invest in their brand, and explore Australian and global market opportunities, including Southeast Asia.
To do so they are currently offering a crowd-funding campaign in which an ecosystem of investors and regenerative agriculture supporters are invited to take part in DCF’s next steps.
To find out more, check out their CEO’s recent post here.(*Always consider the general CSF risk warning and offer documents before investing.)
To view and order products from Dirty Clean Food, including next-day delivery to your door, click here.
Dirty Clean Food is a Commonland partner in Western Australia. It is a 4 Returns company that measures results through social, natural, financial and inspirational returns.
If you would like to connect more with Eco-Systems Innovation in Western Australia, join us at the Eco-Systems Activation Day at Murdoch University on October 16. Register for free here.
Article by John Stubley with sub-editing by Sol Slattery, Shenali Perera and Jim Mackintosh.