Sustainability Champions

At Jonai Farms, Tammi and Stuart Jonas engage directly with the complexity of modern food ethics. At their Blampied property near Daylesford, she and partner Stuart raise heritage-breed pigs and cattle on regenerative pasture, and are building a vertically integrated meat operation with an on-farm micro-abattoir.

They're as outspoken as they are hands-on, advocating for food sovereignty and small-scale farmers while modelling systems that are economically sustainable and ecologically restorative. Their systems, including animal offal digesters, strategic crop rotation and multi-species grazing, demonstrate that regenerative farming works.

"Tammi both talks the talk and walks the walk when it comes to food sovereignty, which puts people and – in the case of her family farm – pigs above profit," says Legends judge Sofia Levin. "She’s a fierce campaigner for fair and ethical farming and distribution." From lobbying and educating to working the land, Jonai Farms embodies the belief that farming is never just about food, but about politics, ethics and people.

Imagine if someone took the misshapen produce from Australian farms that was going to go to waste and “smooshed” it into sustainable, juicy, seasonal vodka sodas? It’s a great idea, isn’t it? And better yet, it’s a real thing, dreamed up by three Monash University students, Gabriel Tucker, Max Moolman and Bridget Lansell (pictured), and now here in the real world, “a real deal beverage you can actually enjoy”.

This is the story of Wonki, an innovative drinks company that rescues rejected produce from landfill. Its approach elevates food rescue from charity work to desirable consumer choice, creating drinks people actively seek for their deliciousness rather than buy from guilt. The trio's concept demonstrates how small businesses can achieve environmental impact regardless of the founders' age or resources. By saving tonnes of food waste while producing genuinely appealing products, they've created a template for sustainable entrepreneurship prioritising both planet and profit.

"These three bright students are raising awareness about waste with drinks I would buy even if it wasn't a sustainability solution," says food writer Sofia Levin. Through Wonki, Tucker, Moolman and Lansell prove the next generation of sustainability champions won't ask consumers to compromise on quality, instead making environmental responsibility irresistibly attractive through superior taste and smart marketing.