Flowers for China
Laharum cut-flower business Australian Wildflowers continues to shore up China as its priority export market as it rides a wave of growth and expansion.
The firm’s international exports are on target to significantly outstrip domestic commitments and its Laharum workforce to more than double in two years.
The firm also represents one of the region’s burgeoning business success stories, having rapidly grown from humble beginnings to being an awardwinning international enterprise.
Business owner and managing director Jo Gardner said the firm’s market expansion into China, based on product quality, demand and an understanding of distribution chains, was going well.
She said expectations remained on track that Australian Wildflowers’ market split of 70 percent domestic and 30 percent export would flip within two years.
“When we say we’re going to do something we do it. We’ve stayed on target and are really focusing on China,” she said.
“Relationships are developing really well and customers are happy with the quality of the product. We need to build on that.”
Australian Wildflowers, which went from having a sales turnover of $81,000 in its first year of operation to $4.7-million in 2015, is already selling into the United States, Holland, Korea, Japan and Saudi Arabia as well as Chinese markets. The business, which develops, grows, cuts, prepares, packs and sells ‘Gondwanaland’ flowers, which includes Australian and South African species, won last year’s Wimmera Business of the Year award.
It taps into a total of about 607 hectares at farms at Mt Zero, Mt Talbot and Lucindale and has freehold lease agreements with 13 other farms.
Its Laharum workforce, which started with four in 2013, has grown from 35 to 43 since October and the business has now won financial support from the State Government to continue to develop its employment program.
The government has provided $150,000 to help Australian Wildflowers continue expanding its operations on the proviso of providing 50 new jobs.
Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development Danielle Green announced during a visit to Laharum the government was backing the business through a Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund.
Expansion
The money will help support a broad expansion project that started about 12 months ago and involves new equipment and facilities to improve the processing and packing of cut flowers.
Latest work includes installing equipment for flower grading and bunching to improve product quality and consistency; an upgraded cool room that provides better flower storage; a hydraulic ramp for safe loading and unloading of stock; and reconfiguration of manufacturing processes to get the most out of the new equipment.
The Australian Wildflowers workforce includes members of the Wimmera Karen refugee community and the company is firmly committed to sponsoring school children in Myanmar.
Ms Green said 50 new jobs would provide stimulus for the Laharum area.
“The Grampians region is home to more than one third of Victoria’s flora, so what better place to base a successful flower growing, processing and exporting business,” she said.
Continued from page 1 “We’re proud to support Australian Wildflowers in their expansion that will create 50 jobs and generate exports of $2.4-million per annum,” Ms Green said.
Ms Gardner, who previously ran a herb business and dabbled in various regional leadership roles, and Julian Stoller, of Yanackie, who for more than 40 years has been a retailer, wholesaler and grower of native cut flowers, own the business.