A formidable export business grew out of a remote farm in regional Western Australia after the owners dared to be different.

While yabby farming may seem like an odd diversion for a family raised on producing sheep, wheat and barley, for Mary Nenke and husband Michael, a simple motive led to their decision almost 20 years ago to move into aquaculture – they needed more cash.

“There was a crisis behind our business – we didn’t have any money!” says Mary Nenke, co-founder and director of Cambinata Yabbies.

We had four children in education in the city – over $100, 000 a year to educate them in today’s dollars – so we needed more money.”

The decision has paid off for the Nenkes, who have created a great Australian business on their property 300km south-east of Perth near the small wheatbelt town of Kukerin in Western Australia.

Formed in 1990, Cambinata Yabbies is the nation’s biggest yabby producer, exporting the delicious crustaceans to Asia, Europe and the United States. The business is committed to building a sustainable economic, social and environmental future for rural and remote farmers.

Before their experiment with yabbies, the Nenkes were already well known in their area, running a merino stud and growing barley, lupins and wheat. Their family had been farming the land since 1914, with Michael and Mary taking over the farm in 1980 after the death of Michael’s father.

With six children to bring up and a determination to give them all a good education, they decided to explore opportunities beyond traditional animal husbandry when the economy formally fell into recession under then treasurer Paul Keating in the early 1990s.

The Nenkes had grown a few yabbies for their own consumption in the past, but things got serious when a friend called trying to source some fresh crustaceans for a Perth restaurant. The call changed their lives.

In a good year, Cambinata now sells 75 tonnes of yabbies, 70 per cent of which are sent overseas. However, the Nenke story is about more than the family itself. The surrounding community is a major contributor to the farm’s success, with other local producers supplying produce to Cambinata when demand outstrips supply.

“Our friend and neighbours started saying ‘we’d like you to sell our yabbies’ so within 12 months we had really scaled the business up very quickly,” Mary says.
Today, the Nenkes have up to 15 full-time or casual staff and accept yabbies from up to 700 farmers to ensure continuous supply to demanding markets.

While the family still agist other farmers’ sheep and grows wheat and other crops, it is the yabbie that dominates business.

The early days of yabbie farming were tough for the Nenkes. Aquaculture was seen in some quarters as a hobby, and most banks did not want to know about it. While they had an asset in the form of their farm to act as equity for a mortgage, Mary and Michael knew their long-term financing needs depended on proving to the banks that their business had a future.

Mary says. “The good thing now is the bank manager wants us!”

Success brought its own challenges. Although the yabby farm started as a side business, it soon “grew like topsy”.

While sound business principles helped the business prosper financially, Mary believes other attributes have been just as crucial. “To me the biggest thing is having a vision,” she says. That means having a sense of where you want to take a business, being aware of opportunities, and not being afraid to have a go.

Technology has played a role, too, with the internet enabling the Nenkes to overcome the tyranny of distance and maintain strong bonds with key suppliers and clients. “The internet is the most important connection we have,” Mary says, noting for example she has never met her Italian customers in person.

Mary and Michael are putting the necessary plans in place to ensure the next generation of Nenkes carry the baton at Cambinata. Eldest son Paul manages grain growing at the farm, middle son Derek examines value-added opportunities for the business, and youngest son Ian works with yabbies.

While the three girls have chosen different paths, they are still keen interested in the business and its future.

“We are well equipped for the next five years,” Mary says. “Future growth plans include new products under a new label. These gourmet products will be manufactured in the export kitchen. Ten-year plans are to develop accommodation to complement our function centre.”

At all stages, though, decisions around the growth of the business will factor in family.
“Our business wouldn’t exist without our family,” Mary says. “There would be no purpose to it because we would be doing it just for the sake of doing it!”

By Peter Switzer

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