The site Tik Tok bought

A couple who, 23 years ago, started a skincare business in a single-car garage at Carrara have answered an e-commerce driven surge in demand for their products by buying a new $5 million warehouse in the same suburb.

Geoff and Shannon Graham own a business that makes a cream for eczema sufferers, along with other creams, under the brand Grahams Natural and two years ago launched a cream for pets. The business, which exports to 16 countries, had $30,000 in sales in its first year, a figure that could top $10 million this year.

Its new home is on a 2156sq m site at 19 City Link Drive and provides 1265sq m of warehouse and office space.

Mrs Graham, CEO of Grahams Natural, said the buy was made possible by social media. “We were never an ecomm business, nor focused on social media – we were typically a wholesale business. Tik

Tok changed our life two years ago and allowed us to reach the world, organically.

“We now say that Tik Tok bought 19 City Link Drive.”

The buy, handled by CBRE’s David Corke, was from City Link Developments, which is associated with developer Tim Gordon.

Grahams Natural over the years has expanded into other skin creams, cleaning products and healthy snacks.

Mrs Graham said the skincare business evolved out of the need to help son Ryan overcome severe eczema.

“My husband Geoff and myself started the business on the Gold Coast over 22 years ago out of a desperate need to help Ryan,” she said. “My husband, being an eczema sufferer himself, knew that he did not want to go down the conventional steroid therapies and wanted to take a more natural approach to help Ryan.

“As Ryan’s skin improved over the months and years, we knew we had created something special and decided to take it to the masses.”

The business expanded from its single-car garage base to a three-car garage and then to a 420sq m Nerang warehouse.

“We never thought we would fill that space as we only had a handful of products and three staff,” said Mrs Graham. “We went on to outgrow the space and, in order to scale-up and to accommodate the growing ecomm side of the business and the international growth, we needed to do something.”