David Proctor — Founder, Antarctic Royal Seafood & UMARA

I’m an Australian food producer with more than 16 years’ experience building food brands and bringing products to market nationally.

My focus today is on creating more value from one of Australia’s most underutilised seafood resources: sardines.

The story began in Port Lincoln, where brothers Toby and Marcus White of Port Lincoln Sardine spent more than two years developing a traditionally fermented fish sauce made from their locally caught sardines.

When I discovered their fish sauce, I recognised its potential as a premium culinary ingredient. Building on the foundation created by Port Lincoln Sardine, I led the repositioning, branding and commercial development of the product as Port Lincoln Sardine Garum, a 12-month fermented ingredient created for modern professional kitchens.

That journey subsequently led, in collaboration with John Carragher and SARDI, to my development of UMARA Sardine Garum Umami Dust: a world-first powdered garum designed for chefs and food manufacturers.

Together, these products bring together Port Lincoln’s fishing heritage, South Australian research and Australian-led product development, transforming an underutilised local resource into premium ingredients with national and international potential.