ESTABLISHED 2016
THE FARMER’S STORY / JOEL MOLLOY
I Built a Business Growing Moringa in Australia. Then the Government Tried to Shut Me Down Without Notice.
Ten years building a family business. Everything I had invested in a farm. Then the government decided to shut it down.
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At the end of last year, I invested everything I had into a farm to grow moringa in Australia.
Not spare money. Not something I could afford to lose. Just savings and a dream
Everything I had.
I’d spent nearly ten years building MoringaProducts. Buying the farm was supposed to be the next chapter.
Instead, I found myself wondering whether I’d just thrown it all away.
“Felt like all the work I done in the farm was for nothing.”
Our tenth year should have been a celebration.
It has been our hardest.
But this isn’t a story about giving up.
It’s about what happened next. And the thousands of people who helped us keep going.
Ten Years Building
My name is Joel. I established MoringaProducts in 2016.
We’re family owned. We’re not interested in getting our products into every shopping centre or becoming another brand on the shelves of a huge retail chain.
We don't want to change our process, our product or our quality all for profit. It's never been about that.
I wanted to build something I could stand behind.
For the past ten years, we’ve worked with the same farm in India, alongside farms here in Australia.
Those relationships matter to me. So does knowing where our products come from.
I went to India to see it myself. My supplier came to my wedding. We are as tight as family and it shows with out quality.
Buying my own farm was my commitment to the future of this business.
Then, just as I started farming, the rules suddenly changed and us growers were kicked to the curb.
Drought. Then Floods.
In our first ten months here, we had rain just once.
Then roughly 300 millimetres fell over a weekend.
From drought to flooding.
We’ve lost over 400 plants. Learned through trial and error. Battled wildlife and weather that don’t care how much money or work you’ve put in.
We grow without pesticides. That comes with challenges, and we’ve felt them.
I expected farming to test me.
I didn’t expect to be fighting for the future of the industry at the same time.
Then Came the Decision
In November 2025, Food Standards Australia New Zealand rejected an application to approve Moringa oleifera as a food.
The plain-English position: it is not permitted for retail sale as a food or food ingredient.
FSANZ said there wasn’t enough evidence to establish safety. Its assessment included concerns about reproductive effects in animal studies, conflicting findings about potential genetic damage, and missing evidence. Read FSANZ’s explanation.
They went off overdosing a mouse on Moringa. Which was the equivalent of a 76kg women eating 120 capsules a day for 30 days straight.
I don't know about you, but that amount of anything can't be good for you.
For me, this wasn’t an abstract policy decision. It's a government failure. A red tape issue.
It meant questioning whether I could sell the crop I’d invested everything into growing.
Where was the practical warning? Where was the support for the people already invested in this industry?
From my experience, we were left to carry the consequences ourselves.
Why We’re Challenging It
Our Australian moringa growers’ group estimates that one experimental exposure was equivalent to a 76 kg woman taking approximately 120 moringa capsules a day for 30 days.
We question how those experimental conditions relate to ordinary consumption. FSANZ’s assessment considered several studies and evidence gaps, rather than that exposure alone. Read the assessment.
I’m not asking anyone to ignore food safety.
I’m asking why the people growing this crop have been left fighting for a workable path forward.
I believe small businesses deserve better than being left to absorb the fallout without practical support from a study done on rodents and not humans.
The Cost Is Personal
The farm doesn’t stop costing money while we challenge a decision.
Neither does running the business. As a matter of fact that just grows significantly. Especially this year.
Finance costs. Taxes. Everyday expenses. Plants that don’t survive. Work that still needs doing.
There are days when I second-guess what I’m doing.
Then I remember: I’ve invested ten years of my life into this business and industry.
Walking away isn’t a small decision when everything you’ve worked for is tied up in it.
You Kept Us Going
Thousands of loyal customers supported us through this.
Thousands of people signed a petition.
Our social media following grew in a way I never expected. The story reached the news, including ABC’s coverage of Australian moringa growers.
I’ve worked alongside other farmers and people in the industry to challenge the decision and push for change.
Your support reminded me that I wasn’t fighting for this alone.
We’re Still Here
We’ve had to adapt and find ways to keep the business going.
We’re still working. Still fighting for the industry. Still committed to the customers who helped us reach ten years.
Below are two products available from our family business today.
When you buy directly from MoringaProducts, you support the family business behind this story.
Not a supermarket chain. Not a business built around outside shareholders.
Beyond the Headlines
There’s more to moringa than this dispute.
That’s why I’m creating Moringa: Beyond the Headlines: a free guide exploring its nutritional composition, traditional uses around the world, and what research says about its potential benefits and limitations.
What is supported by human research? What comes from traditional use? What is still uncertain?
The guide will help you understand the difference.
Your next chapter starts here.
Our illustrated guide is being prepared. Join our emails for discounts, the latest industry news and an update when it is ready.
We’re Not Finished
Our tenth year has tested everything.
My finances. My confidence. My decision to invest in the farm.
But it has also shown me how many people care about what we’re building.
Thank you for standing behind an Australian family business.
We’re still here.
And we’re still working towards a future for this industry.
Joel
Founder, MoringaProducts
Family owned. Established 2016.
Family owned since 2016.Back to the story ↑
