Record breaking grain crops and the rapid rise in North American domestic dog ownership don't seemingly have much in common, unless you are following the fortunes of Melbourne-based industrial fabric maker, Gale Pacific.
In reality, Gale is probably one of the biggest names most farmers have never heard of, but at harvest time its handiwork is all over the bush.
Its massive grain bunker covers, truck tarps, haystack covers and hail netting are deployed throughout Australia protecting vast quantities of rural produce.
Various Gale Pacific shade cloth products also span beef cattle feedlots, dairies and horticultural crops, while its bird netting protects fruit trees and vines.
Its diverse commercial range extends to blockout curtains used in piggeries and poultry sheds, coated fabric for food industries, dam liners, erosion management cloth, display signage and special coated anti-static fabrics used in mine shafts.
The company is even launching a biodegradable paper coated product as a compostable alternative to polystyrene for food packaging and disposable cups.
In the consumer market Gale Pacific is the parent name behind the big selling Coolaroo brand - shade products ranging from beach umbrellas and backyard shade sails to roller blinds.
The Coolaroo name isn't just big in Australia, either.
More than a third of Gale's total domestic and commercial earnings come from the US, complemented by smaller, but growing, markets in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Remarkably, this firm's globally-recognised skills in big scale polymer fabric knitting and coating evolved from what began in the 1950s as a small textile venture making women's scarves and shawls in suburban Braeside.
Shade cloth pioneer
Indeed, Gale developed the world's first shade cloth knitting technology, steadily transforming its fabric mill into an international advanced polymer textile and value adding business.
These days its Melbourne plant concentrates on fabric coating, product assembly and research, while knitted fabric is produced in Ningbo in southern China, and products for the Americas are tailored at its sites in California and Florida.
"Today our US business is worth about $96 million," said managing director, John Paul Marcantonio, who is actually based in Florida with other senior executives.
"The scale and overall market potential of this market makes it a big growth opportunity for both domestic and commercial sales."
Aside from its household shade and screening products, typical of the US and European retail opportunities Gale has seized upon is the market for dog bedding, which is now running hot because the coronavirus pandemic caused a surge in pet ownership.
However, much of Gale's fortunes, particularly for its commercial division, depend on Australia's grain harvest success.
Notable customers include big storage bunker operators such as GrainCorp and CBH whose temporary grain stacks and grain trucks need good protection from fickle harvest weather.
Bumper season
"The past two years have been fantastic for us, although prior to that, two drought years dragged our grain sector sales nearly to zero," Mr Marcantonio said.
In fact, global revenue last financial year leapt 31 per cent to a record $205m, including a $50m-plus rise from its core Australia and American markets.
Revenue for the first half of 2021-22 would have broken records, too, if not for spiraling costs and bottlenecks on global shipping routes, plus related cost rises for raw materials and labour.
Shipping container hire costs alone had jumped from less than $2000 a (40 foot) container in early 2020 to as much as $12,000.
Gale subsequently reported its first six months' revenue slipping 10pc on the same period in 2021, although that result was still 54pc better than in 2020.
A big effort to refill its supply pipeline had, however, positioned the business well for its second half.
"We're now well in front. Material is actually arriving ahead of time," Mr Marcantonio said.
"We're well over this coming crop season's requirements and looking forward to the prospect of another very good harvest year."
Livestock shade and horticultural crop protection markets were also growth areas in Australia and the Americas, and in the emerging Middle East and North African region and Asia.
Sleeping dogs
Interestingly, dogs were also a surprise growth market.
While the coronavirus pandemic had caused massive supply chain headaches for Gale, it had also triggered a surge in dog ownership, which, in turn, resulted in demand for dog beds on raised frames - a line the company initially developed to utilise woven fabric offcuts and reduce waste.
"Sales have gone crazy," Mr Marcantonio said.
"Pet ownership has exploded and subsequently people want to keep their dogs comfortable and off the hard ground, with good airflow underneath in hot weather.
"It's not something we expected, but it's a trend that will continue, especially as all these dogs get older."
He said while the company tended to have relatively humble growth objectives it was proud of its research achievements and the opportunities these had created, particularly in the food technology sector, of late.
"I feel there are very exciting opportunities emerging in the next three to five years."