Coles Nurture Fund: Round 3 recipients

Natalie Bell 

Lismore, New South Wales

A $400,000 interest-free loan from the Coles Nurture Fund will see Natalie Bell and Paul Lloyd grow the popular Eureka blueberries for an additional four months each year and create 20 new jobs in the region.

The funds have been used to invest in equipment to grow new varieties of Eureka blueberries, which will produce the fruit earlier in the season, marking the first time this innovative growing method will be used on a large scale in Australia. At Coles, we are passionate about bringing customers locally-grown produce and that is why we are proud to support Natalie and Paul to help our customers get their hands on delicious Aussie blueberries for more months of the year.

Bill Crowther

Emerald, Queensland

Based in Central Queensland, Bill Crowther is using a $500,000 Coles Nurture Fund grant to plant a resilient tree-legume at his cattle properties to be used as cattle feed. This innovative practice increases the land’s productivity by 20 per cent and increases the production of grass-fed beef, while also ensuring the Crowther’s properties are better prepared for the impact of Queensland droughts.

The Crowther’s have been supplying beef directly to Coles since 2010, with this Nurture Fund supported project expanding their supply of grass-fed beef to Coles’ Graze program.

Arahura Farms

Swan Hill, Victoria

A $300,000 Coles Nurture Fund grant allowed Arahura Farms to expand into new organic products by freeing up resources usually dedicated to packaging. Tony Croft used the Nurture Fund grant to install automated processing and packaging equipment, which has encouraged the family business to focus on growing more organic vegetables for Aussies to enjoy, including carrots, beetroot and mini cos lettuce.

Jalna Feedlot

Anakie, Victoria

Cattle producers David and Katy Gillett from Jalna Feedlot received a $500,000 Coles Nurture Fund grant to build a specially-designed roof over a portion of their feedlot. Aimed at enhancing animal welfare standards, the roof will protect their cattle against the winter climate, resulting in cleaner animals and reducing the amount of feed they consume to keep warm. The roof also helps to reduce water consumption at the farm by diverting rainfall into holding tanks with expectations that this will save 4.5 million litres of water each year.