Starting a new business is challenging at the best of times. But when your venture relies on a secure supply of water, the stakes get higher. Luckily for horticultural entrepreneur, David Winters, we found him a water trade that helped his company thrive.
A boilermaker by trade, David left a career in the mining industry to follow his passion for plants and launched South West Advanced Trees in 2022. However, the early days were tricky.
“The climate and rainfall in south west Victoria are good for growing trees. However, relying on the weather gods alone is a big business risk,” he said.
“It was quite difficult getting hold of water because I’m in a low-density groundwater zone. This zoning limits the amount of water that can be extracted. So, there weren’t too many options to start with.”
David reached out to Southern Rural Water’s field officer Kevin Williams for help, and it wasn’t too long before Kevin found a solution.
Kevin spoke to a local farmer who agreed to sell David an entitlement of water that would give him the peace of mind he needed.
“Southern Rural Water went above and beyond facilitating this trade. From facilitating the conversations to helping me complete the paperwork, Kev was there every step of the way,” he said.
“I’m very grateful to the farmer who agreed to trade. He didn’t need to sell me the entitlement, he did it because he wanted to help a young bloke in business get started.”
South West Advanced Trees employs three people and specialises in growing advanced trees for councils and developers for landscaping projects. David also runs All Seasons Nursey - a popular garden centre in Warrnambool.
David has secured a five megalitre (ML) surface water and 10 ML groundwater take and use licences for his business. However, he says that even in a hot, dry summer they don’t use all their water allocation because of the infrastructure investment that’s been made.
“We have installed spray irrigation and we’ve installed rainwater tanks to help us harvest water during the wetter months,” he said.
“Our irrigation system allows us to measure the moisture levels and give the plants the exact water they need to remain in optimum condition.”
The irrigation technology used by South West Advanced Trees allows them to manage their water use to ensure they stay well within their water entitlement.
For David, sustainable water use is critical to his success and he’s optimistic about what the future holds.
“Water is precious to everyone in this region, and we’ve all got to do our bit to use it wisely,” he said.
“I feel I’ve got the right systems in place and the security of supply needed to help me continue to grow my business.”