Robert Ingram – from Old Tombong Station, Australia
Authentico® is more than a brand — it’s a global network of 1,000+ growers across continents, united by shared values of quality, traceability and environmental & ethical commitment.
We’re kicking off this new series in Australia’s sub-alpine landscape, where we meet a farmer with deep roots and forward vision: Robert Ingram and partner Pam.
🔹Their sheep farm
“Old Tombong” is a 2,450-hectare superfine merino farm rich in biodiversity, located on the ancestral lands of the Moneroo/Ngarigo people in the shadow of their iconic landmark “Diligat” (Mount Delegate).
Robert, a sixth-generation grower, runs the farm with Pam and sons, Lachlan and Braden. They took full control in 2019. The family has owned the farm since 1884.
With 3,000–3,800 self-replacing merino sheep, they produce stylish white 16.0–18.0 micron wool for the high-end Italian market.
But there’s more, the farm is part of a landscape with many vulnerable species — including native yam daisies and short-finned eels, once central to Indigenous diets. The Ingrams care deeply for this land. They are working with a major conversation group to plant shelterbelts, install conservation fences and wildlife corridors. Over1,000 hectare of native forest is set aside to protect this extensive biodiversity and manage it on a landscape basis.
🔹What does it mean to be a grower in 2025?
“For us, it means to maintain and preserve the unique provenance of the Indigenous and European pioneering heritage of the Tombong Valley while caring for and enhancing this unique landscape and its biodiversity that supports us” says Robert. “We harmonize with the landscape, its spirit and biodiversity to produce merino wool as white as our August driven snows, that is luxuriously soft, lustrous and ethically grown.”
That’s what being a grower in 2025 means for Robert, a wool grower with 40+ years of international experience in rural development, aligning landscape capabilities and rural communities needs to design initiatives that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.
🔹What does it mean to be part of Authentico®?
Robert and his family have been proudly part of the Authentico® network since 2021!
Their approach is deeply rooted in respect for place, heritage and biodiversity. Robert says “Authentico means being part of the one mindset – the same language – care, quality, sustainability, custodianship”. As Authentico® accredited growers, the Ingram family adheres to strict sustainability principles, including: Animal Welfare & Mulesing-Free practices, Land & Pasture Management, Social Responsibility, High Quality, Transparency & Traceability. So, being part of the Authentico® global network means that their long-standing commitment to ethical and sustainable farming is globally recognised and verified.
And that’s the kind of farming we believe in.
