Taking over the reins of a business steeped in family tradition is no easy task. But back in 2020, enterprising husband-and-wife duo Hamish and Michelle Shaw met the challenge thanks to some unexpected back-up.
As UNE Bachelor of Financial Administration graduates, the couple had a very good handle on the financial side of running Bellata Gold Milling – the successful business established by Michelle’s late father Doug Cush. They had vast experience in banking, both in Australia and overseas, for the likes of KPMG, UBS, Deutsche Bank and Bankers Trust. However, operations was quite another matter.
“I went from pure finance and business suits to hi-vis operations with no grounding, no anything,” Hamish said. “I literally picked up the phone and rang the head of operations at GrainCorp, a massive organisation, and there was a guy I had played rugby against at UNE, who had been at Robb College and was a good mate of ours. Another good mate from Albies (where Michelle and Hamish met) ran a bulk export port facility and another was a very experienced export trader.
“Within four or five phone calls I had a lay of the agricultural land and a schooling in operations, and I was able to transition quite quickly. That was largely due to our UNE connections and, to UNE’s credit, all these people had all ended up quite high up the chain.”
Since the couple assumed control of Bellata Gold Milling, relationships have been at the heart of their business. But so, too, is innovation. Personal connections with chefs, restaurateurs and boutique pasta manufacturers have seen Bellata’s prized durum flour and semolina become staples in some of the nation’s high-end kitchens. The Shaws have also embarked on large-scale automation of their Tamworth mill to underpin a new high-value model.
“Doug was renowned for exporting premium-grade semolina to Italy, but we sought to develop some different markets,” Hamish said. “Our customers now include restaurants like the Bondi Icebergs in Sydney, Otto in Brisbane, and Grossi Florentino’s in Melbourne, who use it to produce hand-made pasta. The Italians, especially, love our durum wheat. They visit our farms and smell it just like wine. They love its golden colour, flavour and elasticity. Our customers are ringing all the time, asking how the crop is looking.”
Most of the durum wheat Bellata mills comes from farms run by Michelle’s two sisters and their husbands, plus a handful of additional growers geographically dispersed from Queensland to Quirindi. Sourcing specific varieties from within the much vaunted “Golden Durum Triangle” is the foundation of their operation.
“We have 100% traceability and all our grain is treated like a baby from the moment it’s taken off farm and put into aerated silos to the time it is milled”
“We have 100% traceability and all our grain is treated like a baby from the moment it’s taken off farm and put into aerated silos to the time it is milled,” Hamish said. “Doug was ahead of his time in terms of provenance; that’s massive now and we are hoping to work with UNE to develop the technology to support it by offering a PhD.I (Innovation).
“We continue to challenge the boundaries. With every task, we ask ourselves what can we do better. But in terms of innovation, our farmers are at the forefront – they are the ones pushing the envelope to produce this brilliant grain.”
Michelle worked alongside her father for 14 years before he died, and Hamish stepped in, and she is proud to be a custodian of the family enterprise. “It can be very challenging working in regional Australia when you are trying to export,” she said. “We are focusing more on Australian contracts and high-end restaurateurs, who use their social media pages to promote us regularly, which is great. It’s mostly word-of-mouth marketing.
“We are now doing man-less milling and much of our business is online, and we are ensuring that my father’s legacy continues, right through to our own children. And we have recommended finance degrees to each of them, because it doesn’t matter what industry or profession you’re in, you need to know finance and accounting. In fact our niece also studied at UNE, lived at Robb College and is now working with Rabobank in Dubbo.”
UNE’s PhD.I is a sector-first award that allows candidates to earn a doctorate from their workplace. For more information, go to Bellata Gold Milling PhD.I Project - University of New England (UNE) or Doctor of Philosophy Innovation (PhD.I) - University of New England (UNE).
