Barry and Graeme Kriedemann carry on a family tradition of growing sugar cane.

Their properties are on the rich river valley lands of the Pimpama and Logan Rivers near Beenleigh in South East Queensland, Australia.

Back in 1991 during the drought they were approached by a dairy farmer to supply their cane crop for drought feed. After negotiation they agreed to sell the tops and leaves of the sugar cane plant known as green trash, for feed. The green trash was stockpiled before delivery. A freak thunderstorm ruined the green trash stockpile as food and all that was left was a mulch.

The enterprising nature of the brothers lead to a sign "Mulch for Sale" to be displayed at the farm gate and local gardeners took away the mulch for their gardens. By the 1992 cane season they saw potential in their cane trash and started researching the mulch market.

The researched revealed that although sugar cane trash was a great mulch it was dirty and untidy therefore would be hard to sell at retail outlets. It needed to be chopped up fine and put into a bag that would look at home on the nursery shelf.

The original factory was a tractor shed, the grinder sat out in the open. the bag was a polypropylene chaff bag. In 1993 Barry loaded up his truck and sold his first bags. By the end of the month there was 16 customers and by the end of the year over 100. They employed 4 casual staff.

Every cent the Kriedemann Brothers made was invested into this new venture. Bigger sheds went up, offices relocated, better equipment and constant market research lead to healthy increases in sales.

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