We connect, collaborate and empower.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT |

AUDITING |

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT |

ESG & SUSTAINABILITY |

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT | AUDITING | STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT | ESG & SUSTAINABILITY |

With over 25 years of experience in the industry, we are dedicated to creating better futures for Tasmanian and Australian businesses. Whether you are looking to improve your business operations or achieve certifications, we are here to assist you. Take a closer look at our work and feel free to reach out to us for any assistance you may need.

What we do

Systems & Certifications

Strong systems and certifications are the backbone of a successful business, ensuring smooth, secure, and confident operations. They are more than just technical requirements; they enhance performance, drive efficiency, and build trust within your business.

At Optimum Standard, we view investing in systems and certifications as a strategic step toward long-term growth. By implementing strong, efficient systems and obtaining the certifications you need, your business can establish a solid foundation for future innovation, sustainability, and success.

Your Businesses’ Foundation
A solid foundation is essential for any thriving business, and this is built on two key pillars: systems and certifications.

Systems encompass the processes, tools, and technologies that drive a business's day-to-day operations. This includes everything from customer relationship management (CRM) software and inventory management to accounting tools and data analytics platforms. These systems are designed to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and provide valuable insights to improve business performance.
Certifications, on the other hand, offer formal recognition of a business's compliance with industry standards, legal regulations, and best practices. They provide third-party validation of a company’s dedication to quality, security, and compliance. Industry-specific certifications can play a vital role in establishing trust with customers, partners, and investors.
At Optimum Standard, our expertise is connecting systems and certifications to ensure your business runs smoothly, meets standards, and drives sustainable growth.
Auditing
Auditing is the process of independently examining and evaluating a business's systems, processes, and controls to ensure they meet established standards and regulations.
Regular progress checks are essential for continuous improvement. We use the internal audit process to check system requirements are met. Independent internal audits are conducted during the transformation step and/or on an annual basis post certification to check your systems are on track.
Gap Analysis
This is an assessment of the current state of your business system. We use this activity to determine the gaps to your desired state based on business requirements.
Certification
Turn your certification system into a business asset. We help you integrate high-performing quality, food safety, environmental and OH&S systems that boost your capability and solidify your competitive advantage.
- ISO Standards
  - ISO 9001 Quality
  - ISO 14001 Environmental
  - ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety
  - ISO 22000 Food Safety Management
  - ISO 31000 Risk Management
- Codex HACCP
- BRCGS Food Safety Standard
- SQF Code
- Spotless Food Safety Standard for Suppliers
- Retailers Standards (i.e. Woolworths Supplier Excellence Program, Coles Food Manufacturing Supplier Requirements, Costco Supplier Requirements)
- Freshcare Food Safety & Quality, Freshcare Environmental
Transformation
We use an Action Plan outlining the agreed steps, resource allocation and timelines we will work on together to transform business processes to achieve your business objectives.

Stakeholder Engagement & Project Delivery

For over five years, we've been worked on large scale government projects providing stakeholder engagement and project delivery. Our expertise in agribusiness, coupled with our strong connections to rural and regional communities, allows us to understand the unique marketing needs of farmers and businesses.

We effectively communicate with these audiences and provide the skills necessary to deliver exceptional products.

We are connectors and collaborators by nature. Whether conducting sector-wide consultations, fostering communication, building network clusters, or facilitating events, we can help you build relationships, establish trust, and engage effectively where it matters most.
Project Delivery Support
Successful project delivery is about more than just meeting deadlines and staying within budget. It's about achieving the intended outcomes, exceeding expectations, and leaving a lasting positive impact. Our team, boasting over 40 years of combined experience between Allison Clark and Belinda Hazell, possesses the skills and expertise to deliver a wide range of business services, ensuring your project achieves its full potential.
Example of expertise:
- Business Resilience
- Risk & Opportunities
- Agritourism
- Business diversification
- Systems & Certifications
- and more…
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder engagement is crucial for government-funded projects:
- Increased project success: Engaging stakeholders early and throughout the project lifecycle helps identify potential challenges, gather valuable input, and build consensus. This leads to more effective project planning, implementation, and ultimately, a higher chance of achieving desired outcomes.
- Enhanced transparency and accountability: Open communication and collaboration with stakeholders build trust and transparency, ensuring the project aligns with community needs and expectations. This fosters accountability and helps address concerns proactively.
- Improved project outcomes: By actively involving stakeholders, projects can better address diverse perspectives and needs, leading to more impactful and sustainable solutions.
- Reduced risks and conflicts: Engaging stakeholders early can help identify potential risks and conflicts, allowing for proactive mitigation strategies and fostering a collaborative environment.
What We Offer:
- Building Stakeholder Engagement Plans: We identify key stakeholders, their interests, and potential influence on the project, providing a clear understanding of the landscape.
- Communication strategy development: We craft tailored communication plans to effectively engage stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle, using various channels and approaches.
- Collaboration with contractors: We work with external parties to provide video and photo content to help support the project.
- Reporting and evaluation: We track and document stakeholder engagement activities, providing regular reports and evaluations to measure progress and demonstrate impact.

Building Business Resilience

We support you in building business resilience by helping you identify your unique strengths, embrace innovation, manage risks, and develop strategies that drive growth and enable you to adapt to change.

We collaborate with you to provide tailored support and guidance, empowering your business to thrive. Our approach focuses on understanding your strategies, challenges, and growth opportunities. Whether you're aiming to reduce risks, expand offerings, diversify, optimise operations, or strengthen your brand presence, we work with you to achieve your vision.

Customer Insights
Ever wondered how your customer is thinking or need to find out how? We have simple yet proven techniques to help you gain the right insights and grow your market in a cost-effective way.
Risk and Resilience
With over 20 years of experience in managing risk and crisis events across different industry sectors, we can help you navigate your risk landscape with confidence. Our experience enables us to pinpoint priority risk areas and craft actionable strategies that help you respond to change and seize opportunities ahead of the curve.
Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
Business continuity planning (BCP) is a proactive strategy that outlines how a business will respond to and recover from disruptive events. These events can range from natural disasters and cyberattacks to pandemics and economic downturns. The value of BCP lies in its ability to minimise disruption, protect critical operations, and ensure business survival during challenging times.
Product & Experience Development
It all begins with an idea—whether you're starting a new business, testing a concept, or expanding and diversifying. With experience in commercialising award winning products and experiences, we use tailored tools and resources to understand where you are and what you want to achieve, guiding you through the steps to bring your idea to life.

Case Studies

Resilient Farming Tas

Optimum Standard is a delivery partner for the Resilient Farming Tas program, working directly with Tasmanian producers to develop tailored farm business resilience plans. Through practical guidance and strategic planning support, we work with producers to identify risks, explore opportunities, and strengthen their business activities. These resilience plans are designed to equip producers with the tools to better navigate challenges such as climate variability, market changes, and succession, ensuring long-term sustainability and adaptability in a changing agricultural landscape.
AgriCULTURED

Explore the people, produce, and passion of the north east region through food, beverage, and culture.
Optimum Standard along with Agritourism Tasmania curated the 2024 agriCULTURED drive journey. A agricultural & tourism journey that spanned over two days showcasing local farms, businesses and experiences within the Tamar region and Lilydale region of Launceston. Our focus was to curate a event connected life’s experiences through the pleasure of local food and to showcase local agritourism. Taking your appetite on the road of North Tasmania
Freshcare

Belinda led a national project with Freshcare to undertake a comprehensive review of its Standards and resources, focusing on value chain requirements for ESG and sustainability reporting. The project involved benchmarking against leading international frameworks, engaging with industry stakeholders, and identifying opportunities to streamline and reduce duplication across standards. The outcomes have informed future initiatives toward a unified and credible sustainability offering for the horticulture and wine sectors, reinforcing Freshcare’s role as a trusted certification system for Australian producers.
Agritourism Tasmania

Optimum Standard works closely with Agritourism Tasmania to support industry development through events, stakeholder engagement, and regional collaboration. We connect producers, agritourism operators, and community leaders to build awareness, share knowledge, and deliver programs that strengthen agritourism opportunities across the state.
Daly Farm

Optimum Standard supports Daly Potato Farm by providing targeted training and ongoing guidance to strengthen their food safety and quality systems. Belinda works directly with the team to ensure their practices align with customer and market requirements, while also helping to build internal capability and confidence. Through this partnership, Daly Potato Farm continues to improve its systems, meet compliance expectations, and maintain a strong reputation for delivering safe, high-quality produce.
Tasmanian Shipping Supplies

Optimum Standard works closely with Tasmanian Shipping Supplies to support thei maintenance of their ISO 9001 and food safety compliance systems. Through customised guidance and practical tools, Optimum Standard helps ensure the business meets relevant standards while improving internal processes and documentation. This support has strengthened confidence in daily operations, streamlined workflows, and provided a reliable framework to manage risk and drive continual improvement. With Optimum Standard’s expertise, Tasmanian Shipping Supplies is well-positioned to maintain high service standards across a dynamic and fast-paced supply chain.
MPWTS

Optimum Standard provides ongoing consultancy support to underpin the Integrated Management System at Mornington Park Waste Transfer Station. This includes expert advice and system support that ensure compliance with ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 standards. Through a practical and business-focused approach, Optimum Standard helps strengthen internal processes, giving management confidence and improving overall workplace productivity. The team’s deep understanding of MPWTS's operational needs means they deliver tailored support that adds real value and is considered essential for IMS success.

Beach landscape at sunset with a group of people gathered around a picnic area on the sand, dunes with grass in the foreground, and hills in the background.

Group of people outdoors standing and talking near a body of water, with trees and hills in the background. Some are smiling and appear engaged in conversation.

Our Team

Belinda Hazell giving a presentation on P.E.S.T.L.E analysis to a group of people in a conference room with pictures of mountains on the wall.

Belinda Hazell
Principal Consultant

OAM

I am passionate about understanding how systems work and how, through engagement, to turn them into business assets that work for you.

I am curious and thrive on providing clients with the tools they need to solve problems in innovative and diverse ways. I have over 25 years’ experience with quality assurance and certification systems and know how to build the right system framework to meet your requirements.

A smiling woman standing in a large green field of Brussels sprouts.

Sam Goss

Sam Goss is a Freshcare Trainer and QA support specialist based in North West Tasmania. She brings extensive experience in quality assurance and on-farm operations, working across diverse agricultural enterprises. Sam supports producers to strengthen their QA systems, meet certification requirements, and integrate Freshcare standards into practical, day-to-day farm management. Her training approach is hands-on and tailored, helping businesses build capability and confidence in their compliance.

Our Collaborations

At Optimum Standard, we value working with trusted collaborators who bring specialised skills and shared commitment to delivering quality outcomes. By partnering with experienced teams like RMCG and No Name Creative, we’re able to expand our capabilities—combining strategic insight, creative communication, and industry knowledge to support impactful projects across agriculture, regional development, and sustainability.

No Name Creative

As frequent contributors, No Name Creative has worked on a range of projects including Resilient Farming Tas, agriCULTURED, and initiatives with key industry stakeholders and clients. Their team brings a thoughtful and practical approach to visual storytelling, combining videography, graphic design, and clear messaging to engage and inform target audiences. Their creative input has added depth and impact to our work, ensuring each project is presented with clarity and purpose.

RMCG

We work closely with Allison Clark and the team at RMCG, a leading consultancy specialising in agriculture, environment, and regional development. With a strong focus on evidence-based insights and practical solutions, RMCG brings together a multidisciplinary team to support sustainable outcomes for communities, industries, and governments. Our collaboration combines complementary expertise to deliver high-impact projects that address complex challenges and drive meaningful change.

We connect, collaborate and empower.