China Trading Company Pty Ltd is an Australian owned and operated family business established in 1972 in Sydney, and now based in Brisbane, Queensland.
The Directors, Graham and Barbara Todd, have actually been trading with China since 1960, and between them have made over 120 business trips to most of the provinces of China, acting as importers and exporters on their own behalf, and as buying and sales consultants for many major Australian Corporations seeking to enter the China market in a wide range of interests. Hence the company name!
Graham and Barbara have always had a love of the agriculture, horticulture and nursery industries which lead to their involvement in opening up the first official Australia China Botanical exchange in 1973, just a few months after the normalisation of diplomatic relations between the two countries in December 1972. This botanical association has expanded dramatically over the last 30 years, including the Company being responsible for the introduction of the first Australian Macadamia and Pecan tree stocks, numerous new varieties of Subtropical Fruits and Vegetables, Raspberries, Strawberries, Bananas and gifts of Australian native trees, palms, plants and seeds. Check out www.chinatrading.com.au for more of the Company’s history with China.
Forty years ago there were no private gardens in China, just a few pot plants on apartment block and factory balconies. Now the China garden scene is in full “blossom”, all year round, with the introduction of the massive collection of plant material available from all over the world. Many new public and private landscaping projects in China have imported their big trees and palms, which are carefully selected and prepared for shipment.
Meantime, between the many business visits to China and other countries, Graham and Barbara set up a large Rhapis palm nursery at Alstonville in northern New South Wales, and started the long process of establishing a network of major palm and tree growers from Hobart to Port Douglas, Darwin to Perth, and back through Adelaide to Brisbane. This gave them access to the widest range of top quality plant material grown all over our lovely country, which they now supply to clients in Australia and around the world. Their biggest project was the supply and transport by ocean-going tug and barge, of 90 huge ficus hillii from Tweed Heads to Sydney to form the Sydney 2000 Olympic main boulevarde. This was the largest movement ever in the world by ocean transport.
The Company’s advanced tree and palm range includes many Australian native species, for which they hold the necessary growing, harvesting and commercial trading licences issued by the various Government authorities concerned. They are frequently out on the road visiting growers, wherever they may be, to obtain the latest information, availability details, photos, prices etc., so they can keep clients fully informed of what is available on a national basis. This saves clients lots of time and money. Many requests are made to find some very special specimens for which they try their best to source from their wide range of contacts. Quite a challenge sometimes, and generally successful.
Of course, they welcome as much notice as possible of clients’ requirements to enable them to secure the best stock in advance of the project planting schedules, rather than a few days or weeks’ notice before planting is required, as happens quite frequently. Forward planning is great, if you can do this, but anyhow they are always at your disposal to seek out the best plant material available to meet your requirements, which they can then transport anywhere in Australia, or worldwide by air or sea.
