10-05-2025
The regional Australian city of Orange is hoping to become the next Silicon Valley
A regional Australian city, famous for its food and wine, is now hoping to be the world's next Silicon Valley.
Orange, in central west New South Wales, is positioning itself as an innovation and agricultural technology (ag-tech) hub, with a growing smorgasbord of entrepreneurs choosing to base themselves in the district.
"The running joke at the moment is that Orange is the next Palo Alto or Silicon Valley," Hamish Munro, founder of digital start-up Pairtree, told 7.30.
Mr Munro is a former farmer who launched Pairtree — a digital platform that aggregates data — in 2018.
He says Orange's proximity to Sydney and the presence of the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Charles Sturt University and University of Sydney Rural Medical School make the district an attractive location for companies like his.
It's also close to a variety of agricultural commodities such as horticulture and viticulture which benefit from the cooler climate and rich, volcanic soils from the nearby dormant volcano, Mount Canobolas.
The surrounding area is flatter and warmer, meaning it can sustain broadacre cropping as well as sheep and cattle production.
One of the biggest jewels in the city's crown is bio-manufacturer Cauldron.
The company's global ambition is to tackle food insecurity.
"The reason we exist is we're starting to understand that there's scarcity in supply chains," Cauldron CEO Michele Stansfield said.
"We're seeing this insecurity around the world in food supply chains, fuel supply chains, chemical supply chains.
"All the very large companies are looking at ways to shore up supply chains."
Cauldron uses fermentation to create microbes that form the foundation of products like laboratory-made milk and chicken.
"The molecules being created from this process are 'nature identical' to what has been created, be it by the cow or the chicken," Ms Stansfield said.
"We are absolutely looking to supplement or stretch supply chains, so the food ingredients we use would be used to create 4 billion pieces of cheese instead of 3 billion pieces of cheese.
Cauldron has secured contracts with the United States' Department of Defense and Queensland government to build bio labs, but Ms Stansfield says there are no plans to leave Orange.
"That's where we screen the clients, we develop the technology, but this is a global problem … and we will locate our factories where it makes economic sense."
Cauldron's start-up stablemates include Loam Bio, which grows fungi to help capture more carbon in soil, and Green Timber Technology, which has installed robots in part of Orange's old Electrolux fridge factory to build timber frames for homes.
Craig Murphy coordinates regular networking meetings for local entrepreneurs called Innovate Orange, and says the city's smaller start-ups are capitalising on the foundations created by Cauldron and Loam Bio.
"We've all tried to kind of hack and build things in our garages and stuff like that, but it's also to bring commercial folks along as well," Mr Murphy told 7.30.
"I think if you're looking for a city or a location maybe to bring your ag-tech start up, then you've got to look at what they're doing and go, 'well, that's where I probably should be going.'"
Despite the efforts of Innovate Orange, there are concerns a more coordinated approach is needed to allow the city's innovation and ag-tech sector to realise its potential.
it is something Ms Stansfield is conscious of and she wants to get the next generation involved.
"I'd love for there to be some sort of formal structure that includes the university students a bit more and that, I think, would set us apart," Ms Stansfield said.
The federal government wants Australia's agricultural industry to be worth $100 billion by 2030 and considers ag-tech to be key in reaching this goal.
Commonwealth grants are available but they are highly competitive and many start-ups are self-funded.
"We've got hundreds of thousands of dollars invested out of our personal savings, so you know [the] stakes are really high," startup owner Rony Stephen said.
Mr Stephen was living in Sydney's Bondi when he holidayed at a farm stay at Mandurama in the NSW central west in 2021.
His background in technology and fascination with farm life inspired him to create a range of gadgets.
He worked with farm-stay owner Grant Molloy to design sensors to monitor water levels on troughs and tanks, and GPS ear tags which allow farmers to track their livestock on an app.
Mr Stephen eventually moved to Orange to establish his company, Sense My Farm.
Mr Stephen though has had to give himself a deadline of the "next year or so" for it to succeed.
"Right now we're fully boot-strapped, so there's a limit to how much we can personally invest," he said.
Mr Munro hopes companies like Mr Stephen's and Mr Malloy's get additional support to ensure they survive.
"Australia is a net exporter of agriculture projects, mining, primary produce, and the real opportunity is really exporting tech," Mr Munro said.
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