Bellata Gold Milling's Doug Cush believes his business is on the cusp of cracking into the exciting export market of China - but he's not counting his chickens before they hatch.
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Or his containers before they're sent, as the case may be.
Mr Cush said that, while he might be on the brink of China being the fourth international recipient of his products, it was the culmination of 16 years' work and there were still certain milestones to meet.
"The first [container of products sent over], you're thinking: 'That's encouraging'," Mr Cush said.
"The second container is, 'Yep, OK' - and once you send the third one over, you know you've got that market."
The miller of premium-grade durum wheat is one of several participants in the Namoi to Ningbo study tour who have recently returned home after the week-long visit to eastern China.
Organised and led by the joint regional councils group Namoi Unlimited, the tour also took in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
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For Mr Cush, it was a chance to solidify interest in Duralina, his 100 per cent durum semolina made of wheat from Bellata-endorsed growers and milled in Tamworth.
He said he'd been to China "fishing" a couple of times before, and this was "a serious attempt to get into the market".
"It has taken a long journey to get to this point; there's no point approaching a market until you're ready ... you've got to go with a product that is not the same as everybody else's.
"I believe I've created a unique product, so I'm not worried about competing with someone else."
TASTE-TEST
To show off the raw product, Mr Cush did something Namoi Unlimited chairman Jamie Chaffey described as "a very smart thing to do".
"He took one of his customers, a chef from Sydney, with him, so he was able to not only show the flour but actually make products with [it]," Mr Chaffey said.
"I saw that led not only to benefits to him and his product but also the other interested parties ... they could see the quality of the product that was produced from the Namoi."
For the edification of a couple of Chinese foodservice company representatives, Marchioni Fine Pastas chef Giulio Englen created dishes including dumplings.
It created quite a stir, with film crews turning up to document the event - and by all accounts, the quality, taste and even the colour seemed to appeal greatly to the Chinese tasters.
"The people who make the decisions believed they could do something with it ... I'd say we'll definitely move product in there in the next couple of months," Mr Cush said.
Carolyn Millet
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
