Every farming family has stories of resilience, but few are as raw and real as the journey of Our Cow’s founders, Dave and Bianca. What started in a shed with no running water grew into one of Australia’s fastest-growing grassroots food businesses. In Episode 3 of Paddock Talk, they open up about one of their toughest chapters: the ambitious plan to become the ultimate online farmers market, and the hard lessons learned when that vision collided with reality.
This is a founder story about dreaming big, falling hard, and getting back up stronger. For anyone passionate about farming, food security, or small business resilience, it’s a must-listen.
After their second crowdfunding round raised $2 million, Bianca and Dave were ready to scale. The dream? Same-day delivery in every capital city, with over 1,500 farm-fresh products direct from Aussie farmers, everything from steaks to macadamias, olive oil, cherries, and more.
It was bold. It was exciting. And it pushed the business, the farmers, and the founders to the breaking point.
What followed was a whirlwind of warehouses, executive hires, new technology systems, and a massive Sydney expansion. For a moment, Our Cow looked set to become the “Amazon Fresh of Australia.” But behind the scenes, things were unravelling fast.
1. Growth Without Stability Is a Recipe for Chaos: Launching same-day delivery meant changing almost every part of the business at once. This meant new warehouses, new staff, new technology, and new delivery systems. In just three months, everything Our Cow had built was transformed. But rapid growth without solid foundations meant mistakes piled up, from stock management issues to wasted product.
2. Listen to Your Customers. They’ll Tell You What They Really Want: Dave and Bianca assumed customers wanted meat delivered instantly, like takeaway. In reality, Our Cow families plan their meals ahead of time. They didn’t want a 30-minute delivery; they wanted reliability, quality, and consistency on the day they chose. That insight reshaped the entire model moving forward.
3. Failure Hurts, But Transparency Builds Trust: When hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of meat was being wasted and the Sydney operation was sinking fast, Dave and Bianca had to make the hardest call of their lives, shutting down the facility. They gathered their core team, admitted they had made a mistake, and later wrote an open, vulnerable letter to their customers and investors. That honesty earned more respect than silence ever could.
4. Farming Resilience Applies to Business Too: Farmers know how to adapt when droughts, floods, or fires hit. That same mindset pulled the Our Cow team through this crisis. They cut costs, moved 150 tonnes of meat back to Casino, and rebuilt operations without missing a single customer order. Resilience, whether in the paddock or in business, is about refusing to give up when things get tough.
5. Invest in Yourself as a Leader: The weight of failure left scars. To move forward, Dave and Bianca had to work on themselves through meditation, coaching, mindset training, and creating healthier routines. As Bianca puts it, “The business is only as good as the founders.” That lesson ensures today’s growth is more sustainable, thoughtful, and farmer-focused.
Two and a half years on, Our Cow has stabilised, tripled in size again, and continues to support Aussie farmers with fair, stable prices. The Sydney expansion might not have worked out, but it taught lessons that make the business stronger today.
For anyone who cares about where their food comes from and the farming families who produce it, Our Cow’s founder story is a reminder that even the toughest failures can pave the way for something greater.
Bianca shares her childhood favourite, Ma’s Torpedoes, a simple yet hearty farm-style dish made by filling hot dog buns with savoury beef mince, onion, gravy, and breadcrumbs, then topping with tomato, cheese, and parsley before grilling.
Clear here for the full recipe, it’s quick, budget-friendly, and perfect for feeding a hungry family.
This blog is just a taste of Episode 3. To hear Dave and Bianca’s unfiltered reflections, tune into the full episode of Paddock Talk. It’s a story of farming, failure, resilience, and why building something meaningful is never a straight road.
🎧 Listen to Episode 3 now and join us on the journey from paddock to plate.
Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
