Her father pioneered the way for organic farming in Australia, using the secrets of Ballarat’s old volcanic soil. Now Rebecca Djordjevic is stepping forward to expand what he started.
“I’ve been on a journey of soil since I was a little girl,” says Rebecca (Bec) Djordjevic, co-owner and founder of Munash Organics, “and it’s so exciting that now everyone wants to talk about it!”
Munash Organics focuses on improving soil health so plants and animals can grow and thrive and is a business that has been in the making Bec’s whole life. It was pioneered by her father Ian, who was determined to farm organically even though it was considered alternative.
“He was labelled a hippie, but he knew chemical-free was a better way to live – for the crops, the animals and us,” says Bec.
So committed to going organic, Ian uprooted his family from their wheat farm in the Mallee, and sought out new, untouched land to start fresh. It was in Pootilla, just outside Ballarat, that he found what he was looking for, but discovered so much more.
“What we had in Pootilla was naturally fertile ground and Dad, who is always thinking outside the box, was keen to know why. He teamed up with a geologist and learned that the old volcanic soil of this region was rich in rock minerals. It was the ‘A-Ha!’ moment for him.”
Using his new knowledge of volcanic minerals and their benefits, Ian created a product to help all farmers, no matter where they were, enrich their soil for better quality, nutrient-dense crops and livestock.
He became a leader in organic fertilisers and was one of the founding members of Biological Farmers Australia (now Australian Organic Ltd), the peak industry body for organic certification.
However, despite her father making major inroads in the industry, Bec’s interests were far from farming and fertiliser. It wasn’t until several years later, long after she’d left the farm, that she began to pay attention, and Ian’s work in soil finally piqued her interest.
“I said to Dad, ‘I think you’ve really got something here’. He responded, ‘that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!’”
While her father had focussed on the agricultural sector, Bec saw an opportunity to introduce rock mineral products for indoor plants, a first for Australia, and it was here that the Munash Organics retail line began.
“It started on the kitchen table, mixing rock minerals and having it tested until we came up with the right balance that would support the long-term health of the plant from the soil up.
“It was then a matter of getting it into stores, which we did by going door to door and appearing at garden shows – anything to get people’s attention.
“It was a slow burn, but we grew. Soon production moved from the kitchen table to a shed, then a warehouse, and now we’re mixing on a large scale with independent stockists all around Australia.
“And we still test each batch to ensure we have the right balance as that is key. Each blend needs minerals that will feed the plant as soon as it’s applied, and others that will break down over time and feed the plant long term, making it stronger and more resilient.
“It’s just like a person eating a well-rounded diet,” Bec says.
From that first partnership with the geologist, Munash Organics has worked with scientists to formulate their products and then test their effectiveness along the way.
“We have a great partnership with Australian National University. Everything we do is backed by science and we keep discovering new and fantastic benefits to using rock minerals in soil. We now know we can change soil profiles, increase water retention and store carbon from the atmosphere, all because we have improved the quality of the soil and enabled the plant cycle to work properly.
“There’s no such thing as bad soil; it can all be made to work. We have been able to detox soils after years of chemical use. It all comes back to working with nature, doing a profile, testing as we go and steadily reclaiming the nutrient balance.
“It can be a very big challenge and it won’t be fast, but it’s a journey and a commitment, and well worth the effort.”
Today Munash Organics is the culmination of what Ian started in the agricultural and farming sector, combined with what Bec and her husband Shan have contributed since coming on board.
As Bec and Shan now take the reins, they are just as committed as Ian was to work with farmers and growers to improve the quality of their produce without chemicals.
“We want to be the key ingredient in other people’s product – improving their soil blends and their compost to create healthier, nutrient charged vegetables and livestock, that will then better feed people.
“We’re continuing Dad’s work and looking at it in much larger scale. We have the science to support what we do and it’s working. Dad weathered the storm and now we stand on his shoulders.”
Further information about Munash Organics can be found at online.
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