It all started when an entrepreneur who ' d graduated with a Masters degree in plant tissue culture and dabbled in tissue culture all his life, met heavier lad who ' d spent most of his bedroom years breeding exotic bromeliads. Enter a inquiring entrepreneur with a capable business background and skin to concoct, and a small tissue culture laboratory called Plant Culture Ltd. was set up in Warkworth near Auckland, New Zealand. Now it grew, so did its clientele, populous of whom were from Australia, and with lots of exotic hybrids they wanted to put into culture. A business benchmark was made. The tissue culture expert, Anil Ghodke, moved to the Sunshine Coast in Australia with a young family in tow, and with the strong support of business partner Paul Robinson, set up Plant Biotech Pty. Ltd.
They started with seven varieties of bromeliads and set about tapping the market. Proficient at making optimal use of available resources, they were able to keep overheads low and prices attractive. Fast forward six years, breakthroughs, speed - bumps, shareholders and lots of hard work coupled with unwavering optimism, Plant Biotech Pty. Ltd. is today, an AQIS accredited, state of the art laboratory producing the widest variety of tissue culture bromeliads in the world, along with exotic tropical plants like ginger, black bamboo and agaves. It is also the only tissue culture laboratory in the world that sells such a wide variety of tissue culture plants online to the local as well as international market, thanks to its new e - store. And believe it or not, the prices are still incredibly attractive.
Plant Biotech ' s latest achievement has been to procure permits from the state and federal governments to propagate two varieties of the Australan grass tree Xanthorrhoea glauca and Xanthorrhoea preissii for export, which is otherwise banned by the Australian government.
The company ' s biggest appeal lies in the fact that they don ' t just sell tissue culture plants, they ' re happy to put your plant into tissue for you. If you have a unique or difficult - to - propagate variety, you simply have to contact Anil. For the unique thing about Plant Biotech is that, although the facility has grown as has its range of plants and clientele, it is still a two - man set - up. Anil Ghodke runs the entire show at Palmview on the Sunshine Coast with three staff members while Paul Robinson, based in New Zealand, visits regularly and provides support with marketing, payroll, staffing, and administration. This unique setup means there is no hierarchy, and no bureaucratic red tape to overcome whether you wish to place an order, ask for advice or discuss putting your unique variety into tissue.
Plant Biotech is a modern facility with old fashioned values, excellent Quality and great service. It is run by down to earth people with high aspirations. For Plant Biotech, its business is multiplying.
Our next article looks at putting your plant into tissue.
For more details, visit www. plantbiotech. com. au
