MUNASH ORGANICS

Words by Eliesha Rae. Pictures by Angela Hayward.

Just past Brown Hill on the way to Daylesford, lies Pootilla. A spot many Ballaratians have never even heard of, but a spot where a local family have been blazing a trail in chemical free, organic farming that will continue to shape the agricultural industry in Australia for generations to come.

Bec Djordjevic, of Munash Organics doesn’t necessarily consider herself a pioneer, but the philosophies and practices behind this family business speak for themselves…

“I don’t feel like a trail-blazer because it’s the only thing I know how to do well. So it’s just doing what we do each day. But I would certainly say that I’m not afraid to take risks.

Something happens to you when you have made a billion mistakes in business, you get more resilient each step of the journey. We are certainly on a trajectory to make change in our industry that’s for sure.” We sat down with Bec to talk indoor plants, getting the kids to help in the garden and why fertiliser is a MUCH more interesting subject that it might seem from the outside… First thing’s first – How did Munash come about?

We grew up on the family farm. Not just any farm. Dad searched high and low for a farm where no chemicals had been used, and Mum wanted somewhere for us kids to grow up with a great education. Pootilla was the perfect place. We would work on the farm after school and on weekends, that’s just what you do when you own a farm. We felt just like all the other kids around us. We’d get off the school bus, have a snack and then do our jobs.

Dad will tell you Munash was formed way before we even knew about Munash. I was 12, and we were all sitting around the family dinner table listening to Dad ramble on about soil health, and he wanted to find a name for our family business, but it wasn’t until the age of 27, I joined Dad and we formed Munash. We began in Agriculture, focusing on what Dad did best, helping farmers. We grew quickly, and in 2008 my brother Jeremy joined the team. But I had itchy feet and realised, quite quickly, that I wanted to carve a piece of this business in a different way. I formed Munash Organics, which is now a National Retail Business. With no prior experience, I saw a gap in the market and just went for it. I packaged our products for the home gardener. I began taking those products around to nurseries in the back of my car and selling them in to store.

Our brothers Ben and Chris have also been a part of the business at different times. But it is Mum who should be awarded the gold medal; she is such a driving force. She quit her job to look after all of our babies so that we could continue to grow the business.

30 I will never forget Mum ringing me every three hours to come over from our office in the paddock next door to feed my daughter, Ally. I have been able to have a career and raise a family because of the flexibility and the support that the family business gives us. What’s your background? And your Dad’s background? Do you have any formal education in agriculture? Geology? My background is in business development, HR and Marketing. Dad’s background is mostly hands-on learning from the land. He gained a lot of his soil skills as the leading sales manager for another fertiliser company.

You honestly won’t find a more knowledgeable and passionate person about soil health than Dad. He has spent over 45 years working with scientists and researchers, all in the quest to learn about soil health. Formal training isn’t for Dad. He’s not built that way, he learns with his hands. That’s what farmers have done for years, handing down the knowledge from one person to the other. So what makes the Munash product special? Our philosophy is to walk gently on this earth. We have formed a partnership with one of the largest quarries in Australia, in which we take the ‘waste’ rocks that they don’t use. So we are taking a waste product from the quarry industry and turning it into an incredible sustainable product that regenerates our soil.

It’s been a long journey to create our special blends of Mineral Fertilisers. We always wanted to create products that are simple to use, so simple anyone can grow something. And why is it important that your product is natural and organic? We have never known any different. To us natural and organic is the only way to live. Our products are all certified because we wear our heart on our sleeve and we feel this is our pledge to our customers, to let them know that we care about making incredible products that work, but that are also safe and healthy. So, what are family dinners like at your place? If you sit around our table, you will always find things we have grown on our plates. And if it’s out of season, Dad is always the first person to point out an intruder! He knows the difference in taste of his own produce to something commercially grown. As kids we grew up with a minimum of 8 veggies on our plate with a little bit of meat hidden, rather than the typical meat and three veg.

Do you think the general public’s attitude to gardening has changed in the last 5-10 years? It seems that there’s a lot more cool, young people talking gardening these days? Not just the Don Burkes of the world… After 12 years working in this business, I can tell you that people’s attitude to sustainability, organic and general growing has changed massively in the last five years! In the early days, “organic” was seen as just a bit of a buzz term and it was a harder sell. But we knew it was coming, and so we pushed forward with our business and I’m so thrilled we did. One of the beauties of your product is that it’s … one size fits all, for lack of a better term? Can it really be this easy? Don’t I still need specific citrus fertiliser? Or tomato fertiliser?

It is so easy. If you relate looking after the soil to the same way we look after our bodies, it makes sense. When we feed ourselves a highly nutritious balanced diet, we are healthier, our immune systems are stronger and we feel better. The same principles apply to the soil, feed the soil all of the “food groups” (our balanced formula of minerals) then everything in the soil is healthier and happier too! You don’t have to be strict with measurements, and you don’t have to dig it in or water it in. Because the raddest thing about soil minerals are they are absorbed and drawn in over the top of the existing soil, just the same way the volcanoes erupted and left all the minerals on top which is what formed our top soil in the first place. It sounds way too good to be true… but I am lucky enough to know that the proof is definitely in the pudding (or the veggies as it may be)! So how did the indoor plant products come about? A little birdy tells us it’s been quite the process…

It was glaringly obvious (to us) that indoor plants were going to become the next big thing in the horticulture industry, and we wanted to be a part of it. Like with anything we do, we took time to test and trial our products ourselves first. We then partnered with The Plant Society who, over a 12-month period, tested our products on all their indoor plants. During this time we soft launched our social media strategy focusing towards indoor growing, and then, finally, two years later we launched the products in August 2018. And since then we have been inundated! Your products look amazing – what was the process behind the packaging? It’s unlike anything on the market.

I draw inspiration from other creative businesses and people who are challenging the status quo. Early on, when we first started to look at packaging, everyone was doing the same thing. If we were going to introduce a product that would disrupt the market, then we were certainly going to bring packaging that was different as well. So we are on a journey to not only make the highest quality products we can, but to dress those products in the most fashionable, fun, ethical and sustainable way possible!

We began collaborating with a local designer and artist, Louisa West, who took the vision and nailed it. She now heads up our creative and visual look and feel of our business.

Tell us a bit about the team you’ve assembled – it’s quite the who’s who of plant loving, arse kicking local ladies. It has been quite a journey over the 12 years to land with the team we have today. You learn to be so patient, as the right people pop up at the right time when you need them. And that is how each and every rad Soil Sister has joined our team.

It all started with a conversation with a past employee Anna, who I begged to come back from Maternity leave, then a chance meeting was set up by a mutual friend and I met Lou Ridsdale, fellow local green hero and that’s how she landed her role with us. The rest have followed organically. We are a passionate and big-hearted business, so I always know when I meet a fellow Soil Sister!

And it seems there’s no end to the exciting things afoot at Munash HQ! We’re dying to hear about the market garden and everything you have planned for it.

We had wanted to turn our front car park into an edible garden for such a long time. To create a space where people can come and share, gather and learn always seemed like just a pipe dream. But 12 months ago, I was at The Melbourne International Flower Garden Show and I met Bryony, a qualified Horticulturalist and Permaculturalist. Within an hour of meeting me, she declared, “I want to work for you”

My initial reaction was just to laugh, but it was then I started to see that our brand was reaching more people than I had realised.

Bryony is now our Head Gardener and Education Manager, who designed and created our Munash HQ Garden. We started work on the garden in August last year, and it is now a thriving education space. Education is a crucial piece of our business strategy and so our Market Garden is only the beginning of our soil wellness education hub. We have very big plans!

It’s obvious that you’re so passionate about educating the next generation of gardeners - any hot tips on getting kids interested in gardening and growing their own produce? Do it together. Kids love being with you and will learn and grow things with you. Make it fun and start small. Grow some herbs in some pots, help them create their own little patch to grow some of their favourite veg or give them their own indoor plant to nurture. Indoor plants for kids are the next hot thing, watch this space. We are seeing indoor pots and plants specifically tailored towards kids.

And finally, what’s your number one gardening tip?

Have a go. It’s a simple as that. We don’t learn when things are going well. We learn when they aren’t. So show up, get your hands in the soil and just start.

Seriously Shiraz

August 30th to September 1st

Needing to defrost after a bitterly cold winter? Taste your way around the Grampians in the first weekend of Spring and celebrate the award-winning Shiraz at the Grampians wine region’s ‘Seriously Shiraz’ Wine Festival.

Winemakers in the Grampians are serious about producing quality wines of every style and this Father’s Day weekend from the August 30th - September 1st, we are celebrating with masterclasses, unique tasting experiences and live music. The event will feature dozens of wineries across the spectacular Grampians wine region for you to taste, explore and enjoy. A perfect reason for treating dad to an indulgent red wine adventure.

With a full program of events, stunning venues, some of the best wines in Australia - and only two hours from Melbourne and one hour from Ballarat - this is the perfect weekend getaway. To check out all the finer details on program of events please visit www.seriouslyshiraz.com.au to stay up to date.

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