Tree & Shrub Growers Meeting
Circular Food

To kick off the 2017 Tree & Shrub Grower’s calendar we are heading out to visit Circular Food. Circular Food turns food waste into certified organic fertiliser using vermiculture. The business was officially established in early 2016 and although they are new players to the industry they have 20 years’ experience incorporated into the company via the acquisition of Vermicrobe International.

With the amalgamation of the two companies, all of Vermicrobe’s operations, including existing worm beds and equipment has been moved down to Melbourne and the Tree and Shrub Growers will be given an exclusive tour of the new facility. 

Following the tour, dinner will be held onsite and the group will hear presentations from:

Steve Morriss – CEO and Founder, Circular Food

Steve is an entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience in the Circular Economy, starting with a small cartridge recycling business he co-founded in North Carlton, Victoria in 1993. In 2000 he founded Close the Loop, an Australian and US eWaste recycling success story. He remains a shareholder and director of that company.

In late 2015 Steve got the urge to launch a new start-up called Circular Food, a social enterprise with a mission of helping professional and urban farmers, and serious gardeners increase plant yield by improving their soil health. We achieve this by turning organic waste into a high quality fertiliser, by harnessing the power of the earthworm through vermiculture.

Jason Summers - Manager of Parks and Open Spaces, Hume City Council

 Jason Summers has completed an Applied Science Degree in Horticulture and Master’s degree in Forestry and has a vested interest in trees in the urban context. Jason has been working at Hume City Council since 2010, his current role is Manager of Parks. Jason also sits on a number of industry boards, these include:

• The advisory board for Treenet

• The board for Parks and Leisure Australia

• The board for World Parks Academy

• The board for Greening the West.

Nathan Barresi, Development Professional, Stockland Residential Communities

Nathan is a Development Professional at Stockland, working in the development team on the award winning Highlands community in Craigieburn. Nathan started at Stockland in 2013, having worked across various projects and municipalities over the past 4 years. He has an interest in delivering innovative and sustainable outcomes in all aspects of the development lifecycle, with landscape being a key focus of his.

Seth Ferwerda – Landscape Project Manager, Stockland Residential Communities

Seth is a Landscape Project Manager at Stockland, working across Stockland’s nine residential developments. Seth is a qualified horticulturalist with a background in landscape construction and design. Seth’s role at Stockland is to oversee landscape design of public open spaces and coordinate the maintenance and eventual handover of landscape assets to council.