Centenary Landscaping Supplies Group hopes new soil blend will grow into thriving business

A BRISBANE landscaping supplies group has developed a new soil blend which it hopes will grow into a thriving business generating more than one million in annual sales.

Conor O’Shea from Centenary Landscaping Supplies. Picture: AAP Image/Josh Woning

AN INVESTMENT in manufacturing a unique soil blend touted to maximise plant growth is predicted to reap Brisbane’s Centenary Landscaping Supplies Group more than a million dollars in annual sales.

The long-running family company invested two years and $300,000 to create its UltraGrow Collection, working with renowned soil and horticultural John Daly to develop an alternative to waste-based soils.

Centenary Landscaping Supplies Group chief executive Conor O’Shea said the company expected to sell more than 10,000 tonnes of the product over the next year resulting in sales exceeding $1.2 million, and planned to employ another three staff to manage demand.

Mr O’Shea, whose parents Terry and Denise bought the company in 1985, said low quality soil was rife in the industry, and the company set about making its own to fill a gap in the market.

“UltraGrow was a passion project for us,” he said.

“Most plants start their life stressed due to low soil quality meaning it can take most gardens about two years to start growing, and the first six months is really just trying not to kill it.

“This is why we also want to help people realise the importance of knowing what ingredients have been used to create the soil that they’re using.”

As well as the landscaping supplies arm, Mr O’Shea added distribution business Connect Truckers to the group portfolio three years ago, with the company now employing 65 staff.

He said continued growth in both businesses meant group turnover was on track to hit $22 million in the next few years.