Aussie Colours was established by UniQuest in 2007 to market a new generation of drought hardy Australian native plants developed by Professor Daryl Joyce and The University of Queensland’s Centre for Native Floriculture.  The Aussie Colours selection, manipulation and breeding program has resulted in the successful release of eight drought-tolerant plant varieties in Australia, with more than ten varieties in the development program and 70 species collected for evaluation over the next two years. 

The company has sold more than 60,000 plants from its initial product range, the Outback Princess (Ptilotus nobilis). The plants are in demand for their ornamental appeal as well as their water efficient qualities, and have featured on a number of popular gardening shows, current affairs programs, and in newspapers and magazines.

A full-time CEOⁱ was appointed in 2009 to guide Aussie Colours through the next phase of growth, including international market development. Cut flowers of the Outback Princess varieties have been sold to Japan and in 2010 the Gomphrena plant will be released in the North American market.

The Aussie Colours success story has been supported by public and private investment, including more than A$100,000 in COMETⁱ funding, and A$465,000 from the Brisbane Angels and the Queensland Government-owned teQstart Pty Ltd. While teQstart was established to invest in very early stage, knowledge-intensive companies in Queensland, the involvement of the Brisbane Angels was a variation on its usual interests in ICT, manufacturing and clean-tech ventures. According to Brisbane Angels spokesperson John Mactaggart, the investment was viewed as “an opportunity to promote co-investment syndication”.

• Investment
• Product sales
• R&D

www.aussiecolours.com.au

Media release