Banking that backs regional growth

Across Australian agriculture, forward-thinking farmers are increasingly looking beyond traditional production models to improve profitability, manage risk, and build long-term resilience. Diversification, value-adding, and regional tourism are becoming powerful tools in strengthening farm businesses.

In Batlow, NSW, third-generation apple grower Dave Purcell has turned that thinking into reality through Apple Thief Cider House, transforming orchard fruit into a thriving agribusiness destination.

After launching Apple Thief Cider in 2013 using fruit from his family farm, Dave had long envisioned building a home for the brand. That ambition accelerated following the Black Summer bushfires, when the Snowy Valleys community faced immense loss.

“Crisis was the catalyst,” Dave says. “We wanted to rebuild something that would give back to the region that raised us.”

Turning that vision into a viable business required more than determination. Like many regional operators, Dave and his partner Mel Dickson found traditional lending models struggled to understand seasonal income, diversified revenue streams, and the true economic value of regional investment.

“At the start, it was just a concept,” Dave explains. “Having the backing of Regional Australia Bank gave us the confidence to keep the dream alive. Without their financial support, the project simply wouldn’t have happened.”

Rather than applying metropolitan benchmarks, the Regional Australia Bank team took time to understand the business model, combining tailored agribusiness finance with government recovery funding and private investment.

“They understood what being regional meant,” Dave says. “Metro parameters don’t work in the regions. They spoke our language, shared the vision and backed the potential.”

Today, the cider house is driving tourism into Batlow, creating local jobs, strengthening supply chains, and delivering flow-on economic benefits across the region.

For Regional Australia Bank, it reflects a broader commitment to helping farmers improve operational effectiveness, support diversification, and invest for sustainable growth. Through relationship-based banking, flexible cash-flow solutions, and agribusiness lending designed for real farm conditions, Regional Australia Bank partners with farms to turn innovation into long-term business success.

Looking ahead, expansion plans are already underway, including on-site accommodation and increased production.

For farmers navigating a changing agricultural landscape, the message is clear: with a bank that truly understands regional business, growth opportunities become achievable.

Regional Australia Bank is a customer-owned financial institution serving more than 100,000 members across regional Australia. Built to support the needs of regional communities, the bank provides personal, business and agribusiness banking backed by local knowledge and relationship-based service. As a member-owned bank, profits are reinvested to improve services, strengthen communities and deliver long-term value to customers, ensuring the success of regional Australians remains at the centre of everything it does.



Website: www.regionalaustraliabank.com.au/?utm_source=Australia+Farmer&utm_medium=referral

Email: enquiries@regionalaustraliabank.com.au