Angela Payne’s enterprising idea of utilising animal waste has led her to building a global business from her rural Waipaukurau roots.
The solo mother of three is founder and owner of Agri-lab Co Products, a business that sources and freeze-dries ‘waste’ animal products including placenta, glands and membranes for health supplements and skincare products.
A qualified veterinary nurse who graduated top out of 8,000 students whilst in the UK, Angela started Agri-lab back in her hometown. She began with only two clients who had a need for the animal parts usually thrown away in the manufacture of other products.
“Finding a demand for animal waste provided me with a natural business opportunity. Since starting the business in 1999, I’ve found a growing market for these products all over the world.
“Our biggest export item has become placenta, which buyers want drug and chemical free, from BSE free countries such as New Zealand. Specific markets want specific species and we source them from live horses, pigs and sheep,” Angela says.
After doubling in size every year for the past five, the company is now the leading supplier of animal placenta in the world and around 90% of its products are exported to pharmaceutical companies in Japan, USA, Malaysia, and increasingly in Hong Kong and Denmark.
Angela now employs a number of staff but remains hands on in overseeing production management, manufacture and sales of ingredients and export market access.
Agri-lab is on-track for an estimated turnover of $2.5 million this year with the market for animal products in dietary supplements and cosmetics continuing to grow significantly. The market is supported by celebrity advocates such as Victoria Beckham and Simon Cowell who have been reported to regularly indulge in sheep placenta facials.
“Though the demand is usually for use in medical products and health supplements, there’s a growing market of natural cosmetic brands that utilise the anti-aging effects of animal placenta in their products and procedures.”
Angela’s top tips for growing your business
• Do the numbers first. Overestimate cost and time and underestimate income. If it stacks up then you have a viable proposition worth continuing to explore.
• Cash is King. Start small and grow slowly. Only upsize as much as your budget and resources allow. Working harder with less is much better than overcommitting to capital expenditure and ending up to your neck in debt that kills your cash flow.
• Trust your gut. A lot of my decision-making is based on gut instinct. Sometimes instinct is the last piece in the puzzle about whether a project or a person is a good idea. Listen carefully to the Universe.
• Nurture good ideas. A winning idea doesn’t date, so don’t stress about getting everything done today at the expense of your family. Remember to live and enjoy each day.
• Wear comfortable underwear. Otherwise it will just annoy you for the whole day. In the same vein, try to remove other annoying things out of your life. Personal health and happiness is a main influencer of success.
www.agri-lab.com
