Meet the Master

Kel Grey had only been back from England for a few weeks, but it was clear that big changes were already afoot at his dairy farm in Kiama, NSW - when he spoke with us about meeting a mentor who can help take business to the next level, and shared some key advice that’s perfect for anyone in small business.

Being a self-starter means taking a giant leap out on your own, so it pays to surround yourself with people who can give you guidance and support. Your issues are often their issues. But finding a mentor isn’t always easy, especially for first-timers. Luckily, there are a range of organisations across Australia available to help.

When Kiama dairy farmer Kel Grey gets up at the crack of dawn to milk his herd of cows, what he’ll post on Instagram that day isn’t always on his mind. But because he’s decided to make a big move from bottling milk to making cheese to sell directly to consumers, he knows it needs to be. 

It was pretty clear a shift in direction was required. Kel Grey had spent six years away from Kiama “seeing the world”, but he returned to a family business in desperate need of change. “The farm was in pretty dire straits. Deregulation had hit the industry in Australia during that period,” he recalls. 

Our 2018 Meet the Master winner was Kel Grey from Kiama, NSW. See what happened when he flew from his family-run micro-dairy farm in the Illawarra region to Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk, UK, to meet his master Jonny Crickmore. An award-winning dairy farmer, Crickmore's produce has made it to the plates of royalty, with Fen Farm Dairy cheese being part of Prince Harry's pre-wedding breakfast platter. 

We flew RedZed Meet the Master winner Chad Griffin to Richmond, Virginia, so he could spend time with his hero, BBQ legend Tuffy Stone.

Watch what happened when they put Tuffy's small-business tips to the test in a cut-throat cook-off against some of the nation's best.