Growing from the suburban areas just north of the Murray River to speaking to big dairy players in the New York State market is a trajectory any agribusiness could dream of.
But for supplement provider ProAgni, that was what happened when they took out the Grow-NY competition in November 2022.
The company, whose feeds and supplements for livestock lowers methane emissions without the use of antibiotics received the top prize of $1 million in funding and publicity support in the US state.
ProAgni commercial director Warren Lee said the opportunity to approach that global stage through the competition last year was really important for the growth.
"Winning the competition gave us a massive amount of credibility in that market, generally but also with those two bodies and that I think he was genuinely changed the trajectory of the business," he said.
The start up's offices are based in Lavington, NSW just north of Albury's central business district, but sell and distribute their product Australia-wide.
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Mr Lee said since when the company was launched in 2015, the company initially aimed to provide sheep and beef producers with alternatives to using fed-antibiotics.
"By making that digestion efficient, we're also reducing the methane output, so what people cared about five years ago was that antibiotic message which we ticked," he said.
"(What is) top of the pops now, particularly in the US, is methane reduction, but by addressing that core issue of ruminal efficiency and feed efficiency, we're actually ticking both boxes."
He also said the experience of being in "a very large and very different market" was eye opening.
"I think it's really difficult for even a successful Australian agricultural company to just turn up in the US, but what (Grow-NY) did is it allowed us to start knocking on doors with credibility and a bit of a base," he said.
But there were also similarities.
"There was a lot of alignment between the two markets on what people's concerns were, and... they don't really want to have to use antibiotics, and they want to reduce their methane emissions," Mr Lee said.
"No one wants to hurt the profitability of their business, and It's made worse when a lot of them... are intergenerational enterprises, there's a legacy to be considered, and margins are tight. So a lot of those themes were actually quite common between the two countries."
Mr Lee said the opportunity also allowed them to fine tune their product for the dairy sector, after getting speaking to the big players in the fourth largest dairy market in the US.
Previous winners of the worldwide competition which received funding included Soos Technology, an Israeli company that uses artificial intelligence software to control a customised incubation cell that affects the sex development process in chicken embryos and results in more female chickens that lay eggs.
A previous winner was also Chicago-based start up Every Body Eat, which makes and distributes allergen-free food.
Grow-NY program director Jenn Smith said the competition allowed for a unique expansion in New York State and provided worldwide economic benefits.
"It goes beyond the startups in our portfolio, and beyond even the food and farming communities, to lift businesses small and large throughout the region"
The Grow-NY competition are currently calling on worldwide entries for the 2023 competition.
Agribusinesses can apply here before June 15.
