Co-operative Conversations: Episode 6

Episode 6  Part 1: Interview – Reclaiming market power: from competitors to collaborators

6.30 pm –  7.15 pm AEST – Interview

The Limestone Coast Fishermen’s Co-op is locally owned and operated by 27 local fishing family businesses. Just two years old, it started out of necessity and is growing to become a very important part of its local community.

Southern Rock Lobster is South Australia’s largest wild catch fishery by value, producing 1539 tonnes valued at $136 million. The co-op began when a group of crayfish fishermen from across South East South Australia’s Limestone Coast saw a need to proactively address the structural change occurring in their industry. They strongly believe their move to a co-operative structure has not only loosened the grip of corporately-owned factories and processors on their local seafood industry, it has also brought longer term benefits for the smaller, generational fishing families and their coastal towns and communities.

This took collaboration in order to combine their supply volume and power and access the export and global markets they could not reach alone. They pooled their resources into a business they now own together.

They have been successful and are now growing with support from other co-ops like the Geraldton Fisherman’s Co-op. They recently secured  $348,000 from the PIRSA Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to develop a facility in Beachport which, combined with their existing facility in Port MacDonnell, will see the holding capacity of live Rock Lobster increase by around 10 tonnes across both processing locations.

Hear about the many barriers they have had to overcome, and how they learned to trust each other enough to pool their capital and the benefit it has had on their local community. All this when Pete Lewis interviews Limestone Coast Fishermen’s Co-op founding member and inaugural Chair Rodger Long in this unique livestream episode of Co-operative Conversations.

Watch on demand

Episode 6 Part 2: Roundtable – Breaking the mould: How small producers can gain power and position by working together

7.45 pm –  8.45 pm AEST – Roundtable discussion

During this roundtable we examine how some of Australia’s most interesting co-operatives have rethought how they do business by smaller businesses joining forces and increasing their yields, the role of strategic partnerships, maximising returns and competing on a global scale.

This was about businesses coming together to create scale, compete with the corporates and access markets they couldn’t reach on their own, and the panel will explore how to make such collaborative cohesion work. What are the processes they need to put in place? How do they make co-operative working fair and equitable? How has it enabled them to compete on the world stage? What kind of improvements have they seen in their own businesses? And what happens when it all goes wrong?

Roundtable guests include:

• Justin Phillips – Assisting Consultant/Secretary,  Limestone Coast Fisherman’s Co-operative
• Danielle Adams – Chief Executive Officer, Clarence River Fisherman’s Co-operative
• Greg Wall – Former Group CEO of Capricorn Society and Director of the International Co-operative Alliance
• Melina Morrison – Chief Executive Officer, BCCM

Watch on demand

Join Pete Lewis for an inspiring interview series as he explores the journeys of some of Australia’s most interesting and successful co-operatives. Pete’s long and varied experience as a journalist specialising in agriculture will ensure he gets to the heart of the issues you want to hear about. This livestream is part of the Co-operative Farming program.