Olympia Yarger and the buzz business

When you think of farming, it’s very unlikely that you think about farming flies. In fact, if you have any experience on a farm, you probably know how destructive flies can be to livestock. Yet in a small industrial building in the Canberra suburb of Fyshwick, Olympia Yarger is farming flies. And a lot of people are very excited by her unique work. It turns out that there’s more to flies than the average person realises, and Olympia is at the forefront of using the little buzzers to change the waste management industry. So much so that her company Goterra has even received funding from the notoriously agriculture shy Venture Capitalist sector. Olympia candidly discusses how despite all her success as a CEO of a cutting edge company, she still sometimes struggles with the idea that she’s ‘...just a maggot lady’ who is more interested in growing the business than enjoying the perks of investment capital. Propagate is proudly brought to you by the good folks at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries Young Farmer Business Program. The Young Farmer Business Program is creating opportunities for young farmers and fishers to enter into or expand their existing businesses by helping them improve their business skills. The Young Farmer Business Program has been funded by the NSW Government through the Department of Primary Industries to deliver a multifaceted approach to help young farmers and fishers. Our program is providing access to new business ideas, tools, products and services relevant to young farmers and fishers. For more information on the Young Farmer Business Program please visit https://www.youngfarmer.nsw.gov.au/ To view the failed Rabobank ‘pitch’ that Olympia mentions in the podcast, visit https://youtu.be/EGeH_jPrzHg