It refers to the origins and history of a product and its producers, the where and how of its production, and the journey that it takes to reach consumers.

Meander Valley farmers Henry and Anna Terry, of Tasmanian Truffles, are well aware of the powers of provenance in a farmers toolkit.

Mr Terry said they employed storytelling to educate consumers, attract new local markets, and boost their domestic stales.

He said they use social media, a website, a market stand, an online store and recipes to communicate the provenance of their story, which is a very Tasmanian story that is well received.

They also created a brand ambassador, their truffle-hunting dog Doug to help sell their product in an engaging way and connect with consumers on an emotional level allowing them to remember their brand easily.

"Because of their delicate nature, our traditional method of selling our truffles internationally posed a lot of challenges. But through stories and educational promotions, we've increased our local market," Mr Terry said.

"Now we sell all of our product domestically, which has made life much easier."

Tasmanian Truffles have been used as a case study by Agrifutures Australia to help other farmers adopt provenance storytelling as a way to sell their products.

Agrifutures Australia senior manager Jennifer Medway said producers need to constantly innovate to keep pace with changing modern consumer wants and needs.

Modern consumers are concerned with food safety, convenience, ethical considerations, and lifestyle factors must also be considered when developing provenance stories where "products enable consumers to express themselves and demonstrate what they are passionate about in their life".

"Giving consumers line of sight to where and how their food and fibre is produced is no longer a strategy reserved for small boutique businesses," Ms Medway said.

"Market insights from the research showed how producers can take their own production stories and turn them into successful marketing strategies."

The organisation has developed a provenance toolkit, which is found online, tailored food and fibre small businesses, family farms and sole traders.

"You don't need an army of communication specialists to make this work for you and your rural business."

Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.