LIKE ALL good local businesses Coastal Turf started out from small humble beginnings and more than two decades later it’s now a thriving family business that delivers the best quality grasses from Ballina to Coomera and everywhere in between.
Coastal Turf is this week celebrating 25 years of operation at Round Mountain, where a father and daughter team are proving small businesses are the beating heart of the Tweed Shire’s economy.
The business started when owner John Commens decided to purchase a 23-acre paddock that only produced two types of grass at the time.
“I’d worked in the oil industry for a long time before I decided to retire to my small grass farm operation at Round Mountain,” he said.
“Little did I know the business would take off and we’ve expanded to include a fleet of delivery trucks servicing a large area across the Tweed, Byron and Gold Coast with a great range of grasses.”
While Mr Commens is busy driving the grass harvester most days, his daughter Sarah-Jane Mason has been handling the administration side of the business.
“Sarah-Jane has done some amazing work with the administration and it’s really taken the business to the next level,” he said.
Mrs Mason recalled helping her dad work the small farm as a child and learning all about grass and the best grasses for Australia’s tough climate.
“When dad first took over the farm, our little 23-acre paddocks only produced green couch and Queensland blue couch,” she said.
“Being a family farm, both my brother and I would spend many hours after school, and during school holidays working the farm, talking with customers, installing new lawns, and learning everything we could about new lawns and grasses in our area.
“This practical knowledge of all aspects of the life cycle of the turf slab has given our family the ability to explain to clients in simple terms the attributes of different varieties.
“Our time spent one-on-one with clients from all walks of life has led us to a strong conviction in high customer service.”
Mrs Mason said her life experience as a daughter, mother, wife, sister and turf farmer has given her a more rounded perspective when talking with clients.
“Not only in regard to their new lawn needs, but also, the intricate decisions that need to be considered when making a large end purchase for one’s home,” she said.
“As a family owned and operated business, we are all very aware that it is not only our business name on display every time we sell a slab of turf, but also our family name and reputation.
“This conviction sets us apart from the larger farms. As both the quality of the turf we provide, to our customers’ needs being of a high standard and matched by high levels of customer service.”
Mrs Mason is also well versed on the industry standards and serves on the Horticulture Innovation SIAP Turf board as well as on the Turf Australia Board.
To find out more about Coastal Turf give them a call on 1300 787 545 or visit them at 279 Round Mountain Road.