TEFF
the smallest grain with the
BIGGEST health benefits!
Fraser McNaul the Managing Director
of Outback Harvest has been
involved in farming his entire life. In
fact he is the fourth generation of
farmers, so for over a century the
McNauls’ have been farmers, starting
with great granddad Harry McNaul in
the Waikato region of New Zealand’s
north island.
Harry McNaul had a beef
property which he passed onto his
son Neville, Fraser’s Grandfather.
Neville’s son Shane (Fraser’s father)
worked the farm alongside his
father from a young age and after
graduating high school started share
farming on a dairy property with a
herd of his own milking cows.
Approximately forty years ago
14 Complete Health
Shane and Lyn (Fraser’s Mum) moved
to Australia where they began rice
farming in the Southern Riverina area
at Wakool New South Wales. The
Wakool district is known for growing
rice and sheep farming, and the
McNauls have followed that tradition
and farming beef, lamb, cereals
including wheat, barley, oats, faba
beans, corn and Teff.
It is well known the plight of the
Farming community, and how harsh
the life on the land can be for them.
Fraser was ever mindful of how the
change in weather patterns affects
their farm and its produce, so when
he went travelling a few years
ago he started considering how
they might diversify their farming
practices to protect them from these
elements.
Whilst travelling he discovered
Teff and was very intrigued by
it. Fraser thought it looked like an
extremely sustainable crop with
many great health credentials. He
thought that the Australian public
could really benefit from it.
Teff is traditionally used in the
flat bread Injera in Ethiopia, but the
McNaul family wanted to utilize it’s
great taste and nutrition for use in
a wide range of products so that it
is accessible in everyday products
beyond its traditional use in Ethiopian
culture. This lead them to speak with
the CSIRO who conducted a range
of projects analyzing Teff flour’s
characteristics and suitability for
a range of products. These initial
experiments were the starting points
of their current range, which includes
pancakes, muffins, banana loaf and
Teff pasta.
When Fraser returned from
overseas they planted their first
crop, 2.5kg of Teff seeds, and built
up their stock levels over two years.
It took over two years before they
yielded enough Teff to start selling
it. Learning how to produce Teff
posed many challenges which were
exciting but also nerve wracking for
them.
Being the world’s smallest grain
they had to adapt their sowing
and harvesting techniques which
proved to be a steep learning curve,
but well worth it. Fraser considers
the experience to be incredibly
rewarding watching their idea
come to life and navigating both the
farming and business challenges.
The McNaul family are farmers,
and as such sustainability is not
a buzz word but something they
truly value and Teff has proven to
be extremely sustainable. To begin
with it’s a short summer crop that
uses less water than rice. Once it
is harvested they can then use the
straw for their cattle and finally the
Teff reshoots again which is great for
their sheep to graze on. It really is
the perfect eco crop!
Whilst Teff has been great for
the McNauls’ they believe it has
been even greater for the Australian
Public. For anyone wanting to be
healthy or healthier Teff provides so