Queensland gardening and feed company proposes bold new Mossman industry
Shire employment
A Queensland gardening and stock-feed company is proposing to start a mulch-production industry in Mossman employing more than 75 workers, a Douglas Shire councillor says.
Oreco Group, which was founded on the Sunshine Coast in the 1990s, has been revealing a series of big expansion plans this year.
This includes a proposal to build a fibre-processing plant in Far North Queensland to turn biomass such as sugar-cane refuse and bana grass into “livestock feed, biomass pellets and renewable fibre products for markets across Australia and overseas”, Douglas Shire Councillor Abigail Noli said.
“Mossman's next chapter may start here,” Cr Noli said in a statement released last week.
“Oreco Group has proposed a new fibre-processing industry for Mossman.”
Cr Noli said the plant may lead to new long-term markets for local growers, more work for tradies, contractors and other local businesses, and more training pathways for young people.
Oreco Group has put out a series of statements this year outlining expansive plans to grow the business.
“This season has marked a defining moment for Oreco Group, not only in scale, but in purpose,” a spokesperson said.
“Oreco Group continues to invest in equipment, logistics and supply partnerships to expand our capacity, improve efficiency and further reduce environmental impact across our product range.
“We’re proud of what has been achieved and even more excited about what’s ahead," they said.
“Across Queensland’s cane-growing regions, thousands of tonnes of sugar-cane trash that would traditionally be burned in paddocks has instead been carefully harvested, baled and redirected into gardens, farms and landscapes across Australia.
“What was once considered waste has become a valuable soil-building resource - and this year, we did it at a scale we’ve never achieved before.
“During the most recent season alone, Oreco Group harvested and baled over 40,000 bales of sugar-cane trash - making it the largest season in the company’s history.”
The spokesperson said the company was looking to expand in several regions across northern Australia.
“Over the past several years, our baling operations have grown significantly, taking us from the cane fields of Queensland to some of the largest pastoral properties in Australia,” they said.
“This year marks another exciting milestone, with our team recently operating at Alexandria Station in the Northern Territory.”
“Many people know Oreco for our garden products, animal bedding, cat litter, and agricultural products.
“What they may not realise is the significant amount of work that takes place behind the scenes to secure raw materials, support farming communities, and keep Australian supply chains moving.”
Newsport has reached out to Oreco Group management for further comment.