Speaker Profile

Krista Watkins is a leader in agricultural innovation and the co-founder and Managing Director of Natural Evolution, a company specializing in green banana and other waste produce products. She is an advocate for innovation and disruption, and passionate about reinvigorating the Australian Food manufacturing industry.

Krista’s interest in reducing waste and finding uses for unsaleable produce led to the development of Natural Evolution in 2015. Following tireless work and research, she and husband Rob built the worlds first pharmaceutical grade green banana processing facility and pioneered the process of turning produce in functional foods and cosmetics. The business has experienced remarkable growth, expanding into international markets and winning sustainability and innovation awards in Australia and overseas. Krista’s efforts have earned her the prestigious Agrifutures Rural Woman of the Year 2018.