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Growth Centre: Food Innovation Australia Ltd

Case study from: Growth Centres Success Stories

Selling 100 per cent gluten, wheat and nut free baked goods in a global marketplace? With help from the Industry Growth Centres Initiative, Silly Yak Foods is doing just that.

Business in focus: Silly Yak Foods

Silly Yak is a specialist baked goods manufacturer, with over 75 individual products. Silly Yak products are available in both retail and food service outlets across Australia, but the firm required assistance in building the capability and networks necessary to become an exporting business.

As a business in one of Australia’s growth sectors, Silly Yak sought advice from the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre, Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL).

Silly Yak participated in FIAL’s "Are you ready for export?" workshop, which helped it develop a strategic export plan. By being part of the FIAL stand at international trade shows, such as at Gulfood 2017 in Dubai, Silly Yak Foods was able to gain greater exposure to international buyers.

Silly Yak Foods then connected with its first international business lead through FIAL’s Australian Food Catalogue, an online directory of export ready Australian food and beverage products.

With the assistance of FIAL, the business is expanding into international markets 12–18 months sooner than anticipated and is partnering with an online retailer in Singapore.

Silly Yak is just one business unlocking its potential with Australia’s Industry Growth Centres Initiative. If your organisation has unrealised potential, now could be your time.

‘We would have made significantly more mistakes if key people from FIAL hadn’t steered us away from them. And it would have cost us a lot more money to get where we are right now. The staff at FIAL have a deep understanding of the issues and the challenges you face when trying to scale your business from a domestic business to an international business.’

– Bryn Pears, Managing Director, Silly Yak Foods