Regen Ag Series #2: Sam Trethewey on applying startup business model insights to produce carbon positive beef

Agtech - So What?

Sam Trethewey believes ‘regenerative agriculture’ is not a dirty word - but simply the future of farming. Astonishingly, he produces wagyu beef in Tasmania without actually owning any cows. He does this by combining insights about business models from startups such as Uber and Airbnb with the farming practices of regenerative agriculture.
Sam grew up on the family farm in Tasmania before working in corporate agribusiness and marketing. In 2016, he co-founded SproutX, the first agtech accelerator in Australia.
But in the last few years, he has returned to his first passion - the land itself. Sam runs the Tas Ag Co with his wife, Steph. After seeing increasing demand from consumers who are more conscious about what they eat, they’ve taken on the challenge of producing ‘carbon positive beef’.
In this episode, Sam shares his insights on:

• Tas Ag Co’s innovative business model that avoids traditional finance and allows them to produce beef without owning cows.
• How the marketing and branding of their product as ‘carbon positive’ is a major driver for the business.
• The debate over what regenerative agriculture actually means and where it is headed in the future.

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