Kate Lamason is the co-founder and director of Little Tuna, the Cairns-based company manufacturing Australia’s first 100% Australian caught, owned and made preserved tuna.
Kate, alongside her fisher husband Rowan, was shocked to learn 99 percent of the more than 50,000 tonnes of tuna consumed by Australians each year was imported, so she decided to launch Little Tuna and change the game for tuna lovers right around the world.
Together, they spent years researching the market and developing recipes to spearhead Australia’s first canned tuna company since offshore canning, producing an award-winning product and boosting the profile of the local tuna industry.
As Queensland’s AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award winner, Kate will use her grant from Westpac to continue championing the Australian tuna industry, educating consumers on local fishers’ produce and their world-leading, robust and sustainable methods of fishing.