Bio-Oz | Australian Grown Gluten Free Buckwheat and Ancient Grains
Sovereign Foods receives all of its Buckwheat products from Bio-Oz, who are based in Parkes, NSW and have done since 2014. We originally started sourcing from them due to the extreme difficulty in sourcing Australian buckwheat, with the vast majority of it coming from China. Once we received our first batch, we realised the quality was unlike anything we had ever had before and have been sourcing almost exclusively from them since (except for a short time when droughts had a heavy impact on the crop's availability a few years ago).
To maintain gluten-free integrity, all the Australian-grown buckwheat is processed in a segregated facility and buckwheat flour is milled in a separate mill, with the final product tested for gluten content.
Buckwheat Enterprises has been processing and exporting buckwheat since the 1970s. Today, they process Buckwheat Flour and Kernels and ancient wheats for the Australian and export markets in their purpose-built facility at Parkes, central west NSW. The facility was built in 1992 with segregated sealed silo storage and conveyors to minimise contamination between grains. These specialised sealed silos can be either aerated or refrigerated, ensuring the buckwheat remains, contamination-free, pest free and at its freshest.
Sustainable Farming and Grower Partnerships
Bio-Oz exclusively sources from experienced buckwheat farmers that practise Sustainable Farming. Their farmers use no-till farming methods to control weeds. The Sustainable Farmers of Australia is an initiative of Bio-Oz. After years of experience in the industry, having sourced from both organic and non-organic farmers located across eastern Australia, Bio-Oz has experienced many different farming practices and has developed guidelines for their farmers to ensure that Australia's soils are protected. These guidelines include:
- No detectable chemical residues in harvested grain
- No-till farming system
- 100% Australian grown
- No in-crop spraying with any herbicides, insecticides or fungicides
- No stubble burning
- Soil testing for nutrient levels and safe fertilisers (heavy metal free) used
For a more detailed explanation of each of these guidelines, you can check them out on their website, here.
Traditional and Ancient Grains
Alongside their long-established buckwheat supply, Bio-Oz has also been involved in the growing and development of traditional wheat varieties that sit outside modern industrial breeding programs. These include khorasan wheat, with emmer and spelt soon to follow.
These grains are grown within the same sustainable farming framework that underpins Bio-Oz’s buckwheat production. Rather than being bred for maximum yield or uniformity, they reflect older wheat types selected for adaptability, kernel characteristics, and suitability to lower-input systems. Their reintroduction has occurred gradually, shaped by grower experience, seasonal conditions, and renewed interest from millers and food producers.
We source our khorasan wheat from Bio-Oz as part of this work and look forward to expanding the range to include emmer and spelt as supply becomes available. Working with Bio-Oz allows us to maintain traceability and quality while supporting growers who are investing in grain diversity and long-term soil health.
To see what Bio-Oz send us, check out some of the products below, if you want to see everything we receive, click the "View All" button below.
Why We Work with Bio-Oz
We work with Bio-Oz because their approach to grain aligns closely with how we think about food. Their focus on Australian-grown crops, long-term soil health, and careful handling from harvest through to processing reflects a commitment to quality that goes beyond certifications or yield targets.
Bio-Oz understands that grains are shaped by place, season, and farming practice, and that maintaining quality requires patience, segregation, and attention to detail at every stage. Their investment in dedicated infrastructure, grower relationships, and sustainable farming guidelines allows them to work with grains that don’t fit neatly into industrial systems, while still delivering consistency and traceability.
For us, working with Bio-Oz is about supporting growers and processors who value diversity, transparency, and long-term thinking. It allows us to offer grains we trust, grown and handled with care, and to share more of the story behind how those grains come to be.
