Australian garlic’s COVID-fighting potential a “big time” opportunity for local independent growers

New research highlighting the anti-viral attributes of Australian garlic could pose a “big time” opportunity for local growers, as folk wisdom collides with cutting edge laboratory results.

On Wednesday, scientists from Melbourne’s Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity will hand down research showing ingredients extracted from a certain kind of Australian garlic are powerfully effective against the viruses causing COVID-19 and the flu.

The Australian Financial Review reports those garlic varieties and specialised extracts are being commercialised, with the intention of selling the virus-busting ingredients as oral supplements.

Local producers say the in-vitro testing research, commissioned by major farming enterprise Australian Garlic Producers, is promising news for the broader industry.

Don Stewart, founder of El Dorado Garlic & Chilli Co. in north-east Victoria, said the research “legitimises a bit of a folk story into something that’s real”.

The anecdotal health benefits of garlic have been handed down for generations, and domestic producers have already geared their crops towards producing garlic oil for health supplements, Stewart told SmartCompany.

El Dorado Garlic & Chilli Co. is a boutique farm servicing local markets and offering farmgate sales, but Stewart says the fresh research is promising for growers in the process of scaling up their operations.

“The research into the medicinal properties of garlic is really big time for them, because they needed to know the official data on it, instead of just saying, ‘It’s good for you, mate’,” he said.

New opportunities, but barriers to expansion

The Australian Garlic Industry Association, representing small producers across the country, is already encouraging local producers to “put Australia on the map for clean, chemical-free garlic,” Stewart added.

Stephen Earles, a garlic grower and Australian Garlic Industry Association committee member, says the organisation is yet to formally respond to the research and its implications for the sector.

But on first glance, Earles says he wasn’t surprised to see some scientific evidence of garlic’s health benefits.

Should the full promise of the research be realised, Earles says it “might open the market into at least another revenue stream” and provide small garlic producers with new business opportunities.

However, businesses claiming tangible medicinal benefits will face significant regulatory hurdles before bringing their product to market.

“As soon as you enter the medicinal realm then that comes with a whole degree of governance,” Earles explains, suggesting bigger corporate players may be best placed to handle those regulatory concerns.

“In terms of a small producer, I don’t think that they’d be able to move off and start producing supplements on their own, but it would open the market up to sell to a larger producer.”

Effectively upscaling is also a challenge given the cost of labour and the specialised farm equipment needed for larger garlic farms, he adds.

El Dorado Garlic & Chilli Co. is based in north-east Victoria. Source: supplied

Local producers already enjoying garlic’s growing reputation

As the industry braces for further developments, it is already enjoying a deepening consumer appreciation for garlic as a gourmet item.

Stewart says smaller Australian garlic growers are benefiting from garlic’s growing culinary reputation.

Trying new garlic varieties has become like wine tasting for discerning consumers, he says.

“Suddenly, everyday Australians, it doesn’t matter what background they come from, they treat garlic far differently,” he says.

“It’s like a luxury item. Some prefer the Melbourne market variety. Some people like the Tassie purples, some people like to Spanish rojas.

“People talk to you about garlic, and that’s never happened before — and it’s only recent.”