What do you get when you’re a farmer slammed with soaring export tariffs, then your drought and frost hit product is rejected on visual grounds? Did we mention to throw in a fussy child who won’t eat anything?
If you’re Pinnaroo farmers Pip and Skeet Lawson, you respond by coming up with an innovative solution to create a high protein superfood.
The couple moved to Pip’s family farm about seven years ago, taking on the challenge of cropping red lentils, wheat, barley and canola in this semi-arid region of South Australia.
“After two consecutive years of minimal yield, and when we did have yield, it was downgraded because there were too many chipped and cracked lentils due to a dry spring finish.” Pip said.
“They were considered defective grains because of these visual specifications, our lentils didn’t make the export grade, so we had all this produce and no market to sell it to.”
“We also had export tariffs at the time which were knocking up to 30 per cent off the revenue.”
If that wasn’t enough, they were experiencing a parent’s ultimate frustration, with their youngest daughter a fussy eater with sleeping issues.
Pip and Skeet had the lentils tested to find that despite their appearance, their nutritional value was high. They also sought advice for their daughter, which led them down the path of seeking high protein foods to help.
“The penny dropped, we tried feeding her lentils but she picked them out, as a two-year-old does, so we started milling them, looked at their nutritional value after milling and it was still good.”
Gaining a Farmers2Founders grant, they got their idea to the prototype stage and launched a gluten free red lentil flour product to the public.
This business idea quickly evolved to become a sprouted product, taking the high protein flour to superfood level.
“We have been inspired by the ancient process of sprouting as it substantially enhances the nutritional profile and softens the taste of the lentil,” Pip explains.
“Lentils naturally have an antinutrient called phytic acid which blocks the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
“However, when the lentils begin their sprouting process, the phytic acid is significantly reduced and this brings benefits as more vitamins and minerals become bioavailable for your body.”
Pinnaroo Farms is working with a range of people including experts in food science, bakers and, of course, there’s still the agronomists and her dad, whose 57 years of farming experience makes him the ideal sounding board.
While only launching the flour product last year, - and acknowledging there is still a lot of education needed around the sprouting process - Pip is excited by the interest in the product from chefs, supermarkets and the wider food service industry, as well as everyday people, including other parents struggling to get their children to eat nutritious food.
Now they know the potential of red lentils, Pip and Skeet are in the research and development stage of sprouting other crop varieties.
“There’s lots of plans in the pipeline! We are finding consumers are wanting to incorporate more Australian produce in their cooking – hopefully they will enjoy our sprouted flours too - which is very exciting.”
Image: Melissa Brown Photographer