Meet our South Australian organic farmers

Mister RYE harvest team 2020

The South Australian Organic farmers we work with are located 200 to 300 km away from Adelaide, in the Mallee region and in the Riverland.

The first time we met, we understood the true meaning of organic farming. The certifications they have is not only a farming practice, it’s also part of their lifestyle. 

From growing organic poultry and meat to cereals and wool, they only consume certified organic products grown in respect of the land and the people who produce them. Everything they can grow for their own consumption is done on farm (even the chooks feed!). We admire their dedication to certified organic practices and love the extra effort they are putting to live off their passion and values.

When we introduced the idea of making rye straws with their leftover stalks (like older generation used to do to avoid spreading disease), they were very surprised. Over the many years of farming and generations, they simply didn’t think of using the remaining stems as drinking straws. And that’s when our adventure began

Mister RYE is very proud to work with South Australian organic farmers adding value to their existing farming practices and a new income activity.

Alexis Branlard and Mister RYE farming partner
Mister RYE farming partner

When resources are available locally, why importing them from the other side of the planet? 

Our farmers grow rye to harvest grains. The leftover part of the plant, usually left on the ground, is now a new alternative to plastic and paper straws! 

Regenerate the earth

From seed to straw to fertiliser, Mister RYE’s lifecycle aims to be carbon negative from start to finish! Being a byproduct of the grain production, it is also directly processed on farm, allowing production’s waste to go back into the soil. 

Our rye straws are also 100% compostable in a garden, a home compost or a green bin, leaving absolutely no trace. 

With all of this in mind, sipping with Mister RYE, you are directly building healthier soils, supporting organic farming, and local farmers! 

 

Using existing resources, supporting local employment and economy, and preferring organic practices are true values that we support with Mister RYE. We need to take care of what Mother Nature gave us.

100% certified organic from the start

Mister RYE farming partner

The farms we work with are certified organic for more than 20 years therefore our straws are worry-free as well as being pesticides-free, chemicals-free, gluten-free, soggy-free and taste-free!

Through the project Mister RYE, we are focused on: 

1. using a byproduct to create an alternative to plastic 

2. adding value to an existing crop and a new income stream to our farming partners

2. promoting employment in rural area. 

 

The 2019/20 harvest has been very challenging because of the drought, and the toughest farming year for cereals in 140 years! It was our very first harvest and we gave employment to the two farming families who had been a part of the project since its early beginning. One of them did not have the chance to harvest this year.

The 2020/21 harvest didn’t happen. The seasonality and longer gap in-between rainfalls made the plants’ stalks too thin for us to harvest. We processed crops that we stored from the previous season.

Since our launch, Mister RYE has been diverting tens of thousands of single use plastic straws from landfill and the environment. Not only they are good for environment, they also give additional employment to the farming families we work with in rural SA. All products are processed by hand and go back to the soil after disposal, allowing minimal carbon footprint and new resources to grow again.

Mister RYE organic rye straws farming partner

Strong relationship are the most important to us

Using traditional methods and manual processes for our initial batch of straws, we are very proud to hand select the best of what Mother Nature had to offer. As a result, our productions are a collaboration between two organic farming families Border Park Organic and Kinmana Organic and us, all supporting the same vision: create local alternatives to the millions plastic products we use every day, for a healthier planet.

You will notice each straw is unique – with natural markings, and various lengths and diameters. Natural fibres may also be present inside our straws, but these won’t affect your experience. 

Each of these unique characteristics signify a genuinely natural product.

Mister RYE organic rye straws
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