Australian Food & Fibre

What Australian Food & Fibre does

Australian Food & Fibre (AFF) is a privately held, vertically integrated Australian agribusiness headquartered in Moree, New South Wales, that controls the cotton supply chain end-to-end from farming through ginning, warehousing, classing, marketing and shipping. The company operates cotton farms across five NSW river valleys — MacIntyre, Gwydir, Namoi, Macquarie, Murrumbidgee and the Darling River at Bourke — supported by five ginning facilities (Warren, Trangie, Moree/Midkin, Hay and Narrabri), two AQIS-standard container-loading warehouses at Narrabri and Warren, a Sydney-based marketing office (AFF Marketing) and an Artarmon classing office aligned with ICA Bremen, USDA and CSITC standards. Beyond cotton, AFF produces cereals, pulses and oilseeds including wheat, barley, canola, chickpeas and faba beans.

AFF's business model combines own-farm cotton production with third-party ginning services for external NSW growers, transaction-based marketing of cotton, cottonseed, cereals, pulses and oilseeds to domestic and international mill customers, and contract cotton classing services. Pricing is negotiated bilaterally rather than publicly disclosed. The company is wholly owned under AFF Holdco Pty Ltd as trustee for AFF Holding Trust, with PSP Investments (Public Sector Pension Investment Board of Canada) as primary financial backer and the Robinson Family retaining material ownership; Joe Robinson serves as Managing Director. Certifications include myBMP, Better Cotton Initiative, regenagri and Leading Harvest, with all six gin sites operating under NSW EPA Environment Protection Licences.

In May 2021 AFF executed a transformative ~$500 million acquisition of Auscott from U.S.-based J.G. Boswell Company, adding cotton farming operations and water entitlements across NSW and establishing AFF as operator of Australia's largest integrated cotton business. In 2024 the company announced the incorporation of Altora Ag into AFF to form a market-leading Australian annual cropping business, pending regulatory approval, extending the platform into broader cereal, legume and oilseed production with properties across Australia. The group operates through wholly owned subsidiaries including AFF Properties No 1 Pty Ltd, Auscott Limited and Auscott Marketing Pty Ltd.

Name

Australian Food & Fibre

Legal name

AFF Holdco Pty Ltd as trustee for AFF Holding Trust

Website

https://australianfoodandfibre.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Australian Food & Fibre is a PSP Investments-backed, vertically integrated Australian agribusiness that grows, gins, warehouses, classes, markets and ships cotton from five NSW river-valley facilities, also producing cereals, pulses and oilseeds for global mill customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cotton Production and Agribusiness

NAICS

Cotton Farming (111920)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Cotton Farming (Upland & Pima/ELS) (AFAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fiber Crop Contract & Identity-Preserved Farming (Traceable/Certified Programs) (AFAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Cotton production supply
• Cotton ginning services
• Agricultural commodity marketing
• Cotton warehousing logistics
• Cotton classing export

Headquarters

HQ city

Moree

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cotton Production and Ginning: AFF operates cotton ginning facilities processing cotton from its own farms and grower customers. Cotton lint is pressed into 227kg bales for export, while cotton seed is packed in bulk for domestic and international customers.
2. Cotton and Cottonseed Marketing: AFF Marketing sells quality Australian cotton to international mill customers and agents. Also markets cottonseed to domestic and export markets. Provides marketing options for cereals, pulses and oilseeds.
3. Acquisition Revenue Growth: In 2021, AFF acquired Auscott (Australia's largest integrated cotton business) from J.G. Boswell Company for approximately $500 million, expanding footprint across NSW cotton operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Australian Food & Fibre (AFF) is a vertically integrated Australian agribusiness that grows cotton, cereals, pulses and oilseeds across multiple NSW valleys, and processes and markets the output through its own ginning facilities (Warren, Trangie, Midkin, Hay, Narrabri), AQIS-standard warehousing, cotton classing, AFF Marketing and shipping operations. In addition to producing cotton on its own farms, AFF provides ginning services, marketing support and logistics to external cotton growers, and exports cotton lint and cottonseed to international and domestic buyers.

Product overview

Australian Food & Fibre (AFF) is a vertically integrated agribusiness offering a comprehensive cotton supply chain portfolio. The core offering spans farming operations (cotton, cereals, pulses, oilseeds), cotton ginning at five facilities (Warren, Trangie, Moree/Midkin, Hay, Narrabri), warehousing, cotton classing, and marketing under the AFF Marketing brand. AFF controls every step from growing through ginning, warehousing, classing, marketing, and shipping to ensure traceability. The company is currently expanding through integration with Altora Ag to create a combined annual cropping business.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cotton Farming Operations Cotton cultivation across farms in the MacIntyre, Gwydir, Namoi, Macquarie and Murrumbidgee Valleys and at Bourke on the Darling River, also producing cereals and pulses including wheat, barley, canola, chickpeas and faba beans.
• Cotton Ginning Services Mechanical cotton ginning that cleans and separates seed from lint fibres. Cotton lint is pressed into 227kg bales for export; cottonseed is packed in bulk for domestic and international customers. Services are offered to AFF's own farms and external grower customers across facilities at Warren, Trangie, Moree (Midkin Gin), Hay and Narrabri.
• Cotton Warehousing Warehousing facilities operating to Australian Quality Inspection Service (AQIS) standards in Narrabri and Warren, providing container loading services for commodities with rail access for transfer to ports for export.
• AFF Marketing Marketing division connecting global markets with Australian cotton and cottonseed, providing marketing options for cereals, pulses and oilseeds. Sells cotton lint to international mill customers and cottonseed to domestic and export markets. Located in Sydney at Level 28, 20 Bond Street.
• Cotton Classing Service Cotton classing operation with strong ties to international organisations including ICA Bremen, USDA and CSITC. Active member of Cotton Classers Association of Australia (CCAA). Classes all cotton marketed and offers contract classing service to external growers. Office located in Artarmon, NSW.
• Shipping and Logistics Services In-house shipping arrangements including logistics coordination, export documentation and banking documentation handling. Team liaises with rail and freight companies, shipping lines and stevedores for efficient shipment handling.
• Grower Services Relationship management, marketing support and logistics coordination for external cotton growers, with the grower services team developing and managing relationships with ginning customers.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• J.G. Boswell CompanyminorOthersU.S.-based J.G. Boswell Company was the previous owner of Auscott before selling to Australian Food & Fibre in 2021 for approximately $500 million. Transaction included cotton farming operations and water entitlements across NSW.
• ICA BremencoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational Cotton Association Bremen - AFF's cotton classing operation is supported by strong ties to ICA Bremen, one of the world's leading cotton classing and testing organisations. This partnership provides quality assurance standards and international recognition.
• USDA Cotton ClassingcoreTechnology or IntegrationUnited States Department of Agriculture cotton classing standards - AFF aligns its classing operations with USDA standards, ensuring international quality consistency for cotton marketed globally.
• Cotton Classers Association of Australia (CCAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFF is an active member of the CCAA with representation at the highest levels of Australia's cotton classing and shipping associations, establishing AFF as a respected partner in the Australian cotton industry.
• CSITC (Committee for Standardization of Testing of Imported Cotton)coreTechnology or IntegrationAFF classing operations are supported by CSITC standards - international standardisation initiative for cotton testing ensuring consistent quality measurement across the industry.
• Altora AgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic announcement that AFF will incorporate Altora Ag (AAg) to create a market-leading Australian annual cropping business. The Robinson Family will continue as shareholders in the merged business. Transaction subject to regulatory approvals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ECOM Agroindustrial Corporation: Large international cotton and coffee originator with Australian cotton sourcing activities; competes with AFF in cotton marketing to global mills, with broader soft commodity reach but less integration into Australian ginning assets.
• Olam Agri (Queensland Cotton): Global agribusiness operating cotton origination, ginning and marketing, with Queensland Cotton as its Australian arm; competes with AFF for grower volumes and international mill contracts but offers far broader geographic and commodity diversification.
• Louis Dreyfus Company: Global merchant of agricultural commodities including cotton; comparable to AFF in cotton merchandising and origination, but operates globally with far broader product mix than the focused Australian cotton supply chain play.
• COFCO International: Chinese-state-backed global agribusiness trading cotton, grains and oilseeds; comparable as an international cotton buyer and Australian grain/cotton marketer to AFF Marketing, with much wider geographic scope and scale.
• Cargill Cotton: Global commodity trader and cotton merchandiser; competes with AFF Marketing for international mill customers and contracts cotton from Australian growers but operates at vastly larger scale across many origins and commodities.

Direct peers

• Cubbie Cotton: Large-scale Australian irrigated cotton farming operation in southern Queensland/northern NSW, historically one of the country's biggest cotton producers; comparable to AFF's irrigated cotton farming footprint and water-entitlement strategy.
• Namoi Cotton Limited: ASX-listed Australian cotton ginning and marketing co-operative operating gins across NSW and Queensland; directly comparable to AFF's ginning, marketing and grower-services operations in the same Australian cotton belt.

Regional players

• Reza Cotton: Australian cotton ginning and marketing operator on the east coast; comparable regional peer to AFF's gin network and grower-services offering, though typically smaller scale than AFF's post-Auscott footprint.
• Weilin Group: China-origin cotton trader with Australian presence (Weilin Trading), sourcing cotton for Chinese mills; competes with AFF Marketing in the Australian-to-Asia export channel but with a narrower product and geographic base.

Others

• Cotton Seed Distributors (CSD): Australian cotton seed breeder and distributor serving Australian cotton growers including AFF; relevant ecosystem adjacency around cotton farming inputs that underpins AFF's production base, but not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-food-fibre

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Food & Fibre