Project blossoms

By Lachlan Ellis

A Moorabool woman has taken out a prestigious award, with the cash prize attached to help grow her eco-friendly initiative.

Nikki Davey from Glenmore is the co-founder of Grown Not Flown, a digital platform connecting flower consumers with local and sustainable producers, to reduce the amount of transporting needed in the flower industry.

Ms Davey was awarded with the 2023 Victorian Rural Women’s Award last Wednesday, recognising her important work and also securing her a $15,000 grant from Westpac to expand the project.

She was among four other finalists in the running for the prize, and said it was a huge surprise to have her project deemed the best among that group.

“I didn’t expect to win at all, and so it was definitely a shock when they called my name as the 2023 Victorian winner. The other finalists all had such amazing projects, it’s been a really emotional and humbling experience from start to finish. I feel so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to share our story, and shine a spotlight on our amazing flower community as part of this process. I’m absolutely blown away that this has happened,” Ms Davey told the Moorabool News.

“As a self-funded start-up, it often means that progress can be slow, and so the $15,000 grant is an absolute game changer for us and what we can achieve in the next 12 months. We’re planning to use the money to build a knowledge hub within the Grown Not Flown platform, so that users from within Australia and across the globe can easily access and reference a library of helpful tips, tools, and best practices according to their growing region, conditions and seasons.

“We’re also planning to run a support local campaign to increase consumer awareness and promote locally grown flowers and produce. We want to encourage consumers to celebrate the provenance of flowers, the same way they do with food, and raise awareness around flower miles, slow flowers, and the benefits of supporting local.”

Ms Davey also thanked AgriFutures, Agriculture Victoria, and Westpac for the opportunity, the AgriFutures Rural Women’s alumni, and her fellow Grown Not Flown co-founders: Sam Baff, Jayde Timms, and Hayden Timms.

Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Regional Development, Michaela Settle, commended Ms Davey and fellow finalists – Grace Larson, Neha Samar, Michelle Daga and Sarah Duncanson – for their brilliant work and ongoing contribution to rural and regional communities in Victoria.

“Victoria is proud to congratulate the 2023 Victorian finalists, all of them showcase the powerful impact women have across our regional communities,” Ms Settle said.

Winning the Victorian award means Ms Davey will also be in the running to win the National Rural Women’s Award in September, taking on the winners from the other states with a further $20,000 on offer to develop Grown Not Flown.

The National Runner Up will also receive $15,000.

For more information about the Awards, visit www.agrifutures.com.au/rwa.