Australia has been importing sesame for decades, despite having the land and climate to grow it. Now, an Adelaide entrepreneur is hoping her premium Australian toasted sesame oil can help change that.
After years of agricultural trials, Jim Kim has launched TOSTĒ, an Australian-grown and produced toasted sesame oil brand designed to create the market the crop has been missing.
She has spent almost a decade involved in efforts to establish a commercial sesame industry in Queensland, first becoming involved in a project in central Queensland in 2017.
When Kim was working as a public servant in Rockhampton, she saw an opportunity in sesame, particularly when compared to the low returns farmers could receive from traditional crops.
“Sorghum, for example, is still about $300 per tonne, which is rather cheap. But when it comes to sesame, it can be several thousand dollars per tonne,” she said.
“So, why do we import it all? Why don’t we grow it here? That’s where the journey began.”
The project brought together farmers, government agencies, industry partners and university researchers, but after Kim moved to Adelaide, she returned to the project several years later to find it had stalled.
“Growing it is one thing, but creating demand is another,” Kim said.
“Companies are so used to using cheap imports. They have mostly been using 100 per cent imported sesame.”
That prompted her to think about what she could do to help create an Australian market for the crop.
Jin has partnered with Jessica of Jessica’s Market in Melbourne, bringing together Jessica’s extensive experience in premium food and national distribution with Jin’s expertise in Australian sesame industry development and local food manufacturing. Together, they are working to bring Australian-grown sesame products to a broader national market.
The result is what Kim said is the only commercially produced toasted sesame oil made entirely from Australian-grown sesame.
The company’s first product is made using Australian black sesame, which is roasted before being mechanically pressed.
Rather than heavily roasting the seeds to maximise the oil yield, TOSTĒ uses a controlled roasting process designed to preserve the flavour of the sesame.
“When you burn any protein or seeds, you increase the oil yield, but we don’t do that,” Kim says. “We use a very healthy temperature range. We roast the sesame and then press it.”
There are currently two versions: First Harvest, made from fresh sesame from this year’s crop, and Heritage, made from the previous year’s harvest.
“The Heritage, which uses last year’s seeds, has a deeper aroma. Once you taste it, the nuttiness is mad,” Kim said.
Rather than relegating it to the pantry for Asian-style cooking, she sees TOSTĒ as an Australian finishing oil that can be used much like extra virgin olive oil.
It can be drizzled over pasta, mixed with balsamic vinegar for dipping bread or added to meat straight from the barbecue.
“When you use my sesame oil, it doesn’t change the flavour. It only enhances it,” she said.
TOSTĒ is also working with a local university to investigate the leftover pressed meal’s potential, with Kim hoping it can eventually be developed into a plant-based protein ingredient.
“I’m trying to achieve zero waste and create real value,” Kim says.
TOSTĒ’s Australian-grown black sesame oil is launching online this week, with the white sesame oil to follow after the next summer crop.
To find out more, click here.
