Aussie Owned and Aussie Grown
A 12-Year Battle to Bring You Aussie GF Oats!
Since the beginning, it has been my dream to partner with Aussie farmers to offer uncontaminated oats grown right here in Australia. But the journey was anything but easy—it took over 12 years to bring Australian-grown oats from seed to plate.
In 2009, I imported the first pallet of oats,750kg, from the USA. The oats came from a family of Coeliacs who had pioneered the journey of proving that oats were often cross-contaminated at the farm level. This family was instrumental in establishing the Global Oats Protocol, the blueprint we proudly follow today. Their mission was clear: to grow pure oats free from gluten contamination by wheat, rye, and barley. In 2007, the USA officially registered these oats as “gluten-free oats.” Canada, the UK, and parts of Europe soon followed. However, to this day, Australia and New Zealand remain among the few countries where oats cannot legally be labeled gluten-free.
From 2009, I began interviewing farmers, researching seed stock, and collaborating with scientists to map out a plan for growing uncontaminated oats in Australia. I identified potential oat-growing regions and explored where we could grow trial crops. Despite applying for several grants to support this initiative, I faced rejection. The feedback was consistent: I needed to grow demand before securing funding. So, I did.
Growing a Movement and Building Demand
Social media became a powerful platform to connect with customers seeking pure oats as a healthy, flexible alternative to the sugar-laden, so-called "gluten-free" breakfast and snack options dominating the shelves. These were my people—other parents managing kids with multiple food intolerances who, like me, wanted better options than soy, corn, and sugar-filled products.
It was all about supply and demand. The team and I attended every trade show possible, cold-called stores, pitched to distributors, and reached out to food chains. Year after year, we grew our business by 25%, all while enduring pushback and misinformation from parts of the industry questioning the value and origins of our oats.
A Breakthrough in Western Australia
In 2016, I received a surprising call from a farmer in Western Australia. He shared that he had been growing pure oats for local families and had noticed our US product on WA shop shelves. He believed his farm could produce the uncontaminated oats we were seeking, grown according to the Global Oats Purity Protocol.
However, challenges remained. The farmer needed to build up his own seed stock because mainstream oat seed suppliers couldn’t guarantee purity. He also required access to a dedicated oat processing mill—an enormous undertaking. With a mix of grants, investments, and sheer determination, they constructed their own facility, a time-consuming and costly project.
In 2019, after a trip to Africa, I stopped in Perth to meet Kym, the farmer, for the first time. We met in an Irish bar where we spent the afternoon talking about all things oats and our united dream to produce and supply Australia with the first pure oats that he had grown. This meeting was to be our first and last face-to-face until borders reopened in 2022. In the meantime, our team worked closely with Kym’s team to finalize supply arrangements, knowing the COVID-19 pandemic threatened our US oat imports. Supply chain issues, skyrocketing shipping fees, and the falling Aussie dollar made continuing with US stock unsustainable.
The Dream Becomes Reality
In 2021, the dream finally became reality. GF Oats launched Aussie-grown oats to distributors across Australia. However, the timing couldn’t have been worse—lockdowns halted sales, and customers hesitated to embrace the new Aussie-grown oats, having come to trust our US product.
The company had planned a gradual transition to Aussie oats, complete with fresh packaging. But by Christmas 2021, circumstances forced a quick shift. Two containers of oats were stuck at the LA freight port for three months, raw ingredient prices had skyrocketed, and freight costs had doubled. We had no choice but to transition entirely to Aussie oats. It was the end of our importing journey. This was a very big financial setback, but we persevered.
Proudly Aussie Through and Through
Despite the challenges, I am incredibly proud to say that we are now 100% Aussie through and through. GF Oats is today the largest supplier of the purest, most trusted oats in Australia, grown by Australian farmers. From seed to plate, we control every step of the supply chain, ensuring our customers know they’re choosing “The Oats You Can Trust.”
Our oats are grown using minimal-impact farming techniques, crop rotation, and exclusion zones to maintain purity. Processing takes place in dedicated facilities free from contamination by wheat, rye, spelt, and barley. Every batch is rigorously tested to confirm nil gluten levels from these grains.
Why We Stand Out
This journey wasn’t just about growing oats—it was about creating a product people could trust. Our dedication to purity and safety is why we’re proud to call our oats “The Oats You Can Trust.”
Thank you for supporting our mission and helping us make this dream a reality!
