Business
16 March, 2024
Kate’s fantastic catch
RENOWNED tuna entrepreneur Kate Lamason and founder of Little Tuna has received Queensland’s 2024 AgriFuture Rural Women’s Award for her contribution to the regional fisheries industry and the FNQ community.
Having become a finalist in 2023, Ms Lamason, who founded Little Tuna with her husband in 2016, took the top spot this year amongst four impressive finalists for her innovative business approach with Little Tuna becoming one of the first local exporters of tuna in the region, her broad experience in the seafood industry and not-for-profit work.
Ms Lamason has been awarded a $15,000 Westpac grant and will now go on to represent Queensland at the national awards in August for the chance to win an additional $20,000 grant.
Ms Lamason said Little Tuna had always strived to give Australians, an all-Australian product which was also healthy and delicious.
“A lot of people ask for Australian tuna, and it can be really confusing out there. It’s not until you read the fine print when you realise it’s actually not Australian,” she said.
“We’ve got a unique product. It’s in a glass jar, so it’s different from the cans. You can actually see the quality, see it’s jam-packed.
“You can see there are no preservatives, no hidden nasties. Everything in that jar is Australian, made by Australians.”
Ms Lamason is also an advocate for women in the seafood industry, an industry recognised for being male-dominated.
“There are many opportunities for women to join the industry, and there’s so much we can do and bring to the table, so to represent women in this industry is remarkable, and I love being a woman in the seafood industry,” she said.
Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Minister Mark Furner congratulated Ms Lamason.
“Kate Lamason is an inspiration to so many women in the seafood industry, including with her advocacy through Women in Seafood Australasia,” he said.
“Her example of success will add to the shining light of women’s contributions to primary production in Queensland, as also exemplified by the other Queensland finalists.”
