2025 has been a tough year for business but, in the Riverina, passion, drive and innovation are keeping the wheels of industry turning. Here are 16 of our top business stories from this year.
16. Chelsie plants seeds for bloomin’ new floristry venture in Jindera
by Jodie O’Sullivan
Jindera’s Chelsie Takle, 24, has launched her own floristry business inspired by the love of her gardener grandmother. Photo: Supplied.
Chelsie Takle has gone into the business of “delivering happiness”.
The 24-year-old Jindera woman launched her own flower farm and floristry business from her family’s property at Jindera.
15. Grabbing the bull by the horns: Ag innovation born in Albury, built for the world
by Jodie O’Sullivan
Rural roots run deep for Bullmax managing director Scott Jensen (right), from Albury, with Eric Grimshaw, one of the founders of the previously Boorowa-based agricultural equipment company. Photo: Supplied.
Albury is cementing its place on the global stage of innovation with the launch of a world-first piece of farm machinery from a new headquarters in the border city.
Husband-and-wife team Scott and Emma Jensen took over outdoor power equipment company Bullmax, moving its operations from Boorowa to a new 1400-square-metre facility at Albury.
14. New Riverina business taking the heartache out of aged care and disability
by Marguerite McKinnon
Julie Quade and Leanne Sainsbury at the launch of their new online and face-to-face disability and aged care advice and consultancy service Unleashed Futures. Photo: Supplied.
A bold new business launched in Wagga is set to take the heartache out navigating aged care and disability services for Riverina residents.
Wagga women Leanne Sainsbury and Julie Quade have combined their decades of professional experience with their lived knowledge as parents of young adults with complex NDIS needs to create Unleashed Futures, a dynamic online and face-to-face resource for the Riverina community.
13. Phillip Kyaw hands over grocery business to his brother-in-law after a life-threatening brain injury
by Shri Gayathirie Rajen
Phillip Kyaw and his brother-in-law, John Chuan. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
A life-altering health scare led Phillip Kyaw to step away from his small business of 12 years, which has been offering authentic Asian staples, to focus on his health and family.
The former owner of Mingalar Asian Grocery handed over the store to his brother-in-law, John Chuan, who is eager to build on Phillip’s hard work by bringing more products to the local community.
12. Laid off Autograph Griffith employees finally paid entitlements ahead of TV debut
by Oliver Jacques
Liz Purtell and Sharon Brown have finally been paid after a 10-month fight. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
All employees laid off by clothing store Autograph Griffith were finally paid their full entitlements, 10 months after their store closed.
Liz Purtell and Sharon Brown lost their jobs after a combined 42 years at the retail outlet when parent company Mosaic Brands went into administration in October 2024.
11. Griffith’s ‘Love Island’ car empire sees husband-and-wife duo take over dealership
by Oliver Jacques
Sarah and Damian Taranto (centre) among the staff at Griffith City Volkswagen. Photos: Supplied.
Damian and Sarah Taranto are among 10 staff who have met and married while working at the company known around town as ‘’Love Island’’. Now they’re the owners of Griffith City Volkswagen.
10. Wagga rice farmers turn to flowers for a blooming success after drought savages industry
by Marguerite McKinnon
Ivanhoe Flower Farm’s Kate Arthur with Rob Papasidero from Wagga Fruit Supply. Photo: Marguerite McKinnon.
Third-generation rice farmer Kate Arthur has turned trial into triumph after swapping rice for ranunculus (Persian buttercups), and business is blooming.
“We come from rice farms, and so we’re used to irrigation growing, but this is really a pivot,” Kate said.
9. Wagga mum sick of tearing outfits on her farm launches her own ‘durable’ clothing brand
by Jarryd Rowley
Clothing company Rustic Ridge was started by Wagga’s Marlee Creasy after she realised work clothes weren’t always as durable as they could have been. Photo: Supplied.
A Wagga mum sick of tearing work outfits on her farm has combatted the problem by launching her own stylish and durable clothing brand.
8. 75 years strong: Wagga Motors steeped in car industry history and still firing on all cylinders
by Jodie O’Sullivan
Car men through and through … third-generation Wagga Motors directors Scott Braid and Richard Braid will celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary in 2025. Photo: Wagga Motors.
It’s the people who have made Wagga Motors what it is today, says third-generation owners Scott and Richard Braid, who celebrated the dealership’s 75th anniversary in 2025. Take a trip down memory lane.
7. Agribusiness bank appoints long-time local as its Griffith area manager
by Oliver Jacques
Matt Ellevsen will be a familiar face as the head of Griffith Rabobank. Photos: Supplied.
Agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank has appointed long-time local Matt Ellevsen as its area manager for Griffith.
The 49-year-old was raised in the small Central West town of Gulgong, then completed an ag science degree in Sydney, where he worked in accounting for a few years before moving to Mudgee and then to Griffith, where he has lived for the past two decades.
6. Major feather in the cap as Magpies Nest becomes first Wagga restaurant to earn prestigious AGFG Chef Hat Award
by Jarryd Rowley
Magpies Nest has become the first Wagga restaurant to receive a Chef Hat from the highly respected Australian Good Food Guide. Photo: Magpies Nest Restaurant.
The chefs and crew at Magpies Nest had their hard work recognised with a Chef Hat Award from the Australian Good Food Guide.
The popular Estella-based restaurant, which has been operating in the town since 1997, received the honour during its usual January break.
“It was completely out of the blue. I was on holiday and checked my emails, and there it was, a message from the AGFG saying you’ve been awarded a hat,” owner and manager Hayley Whyte said.
5. Wagga dancer named award finalist after becoming dual business owner at age 24
by Oliver Jacques
Grace Mattingly with her Outstanding Young Business Leader award. Photo: Supplied.
A Wagga dancer who has run her own dance studio since she was 19 and launched a second business five years later has been recognised for her achievements.
In August, Grace Mattingly was named Wagga’s Outstanding Young Business Leader at the local business chamber awards. She then became a regional finalist in the same category at the Riverina Murray regional awards.
4. ‘I started as a wash-up kid’: Former apprentice reopens The Rock’s last remaining butchery
by Jarryd Rowley
The Rock Butchery has reopened, with a former apprentice taking over. Photo: Supplied.
The Rock Butchery reopened its doors after being closed for six months, with one of the store’s former apprentices taking over.
The town was devastated when it lost its last remaining meat retailer, forcing residents to make a half-hour drive to Wagga for their steaks, lamb and sausages.
3. Wagga builder claims national housing award for second time
by Erin Hee
Wagga’s PAH Innovative Construction team specialises in challenging terrains. Photo: Supplied.
A family-run construction company in Wagga is celebrating after claiming a national building award for the second time.
PAH Innovative Construction won the HIA Australian Professional Small Builder/Renovator category in the recent HIA-CSR Australian Housing Awards.
2. Beer, chocolate and now coffee!? The price of a humble flat white is about to spike
by Chris Roe
The cost of a flat white is set to rise as coffee prices hit a 50-year high. Photo: Colin King.
It’s no secret that we love our coffee Down Under, with Aussies consuming almost 2 kg of coffee per person per year. Our cafe culture is the envy of the world yet we are almost entirely reliant on imported beans.
Bad weather in major coffee-growing regions such as Vietnam and Brazil, coupled with ongoing supply-chain issues, led some industry experts to warn that the price of a flat white could hit $10.
1. Ghost tour operator vows to continue legacy after famous Junee ‘haunted house’ closes to public
by Oliver Jacques
Monte Cristo is now private property and closed to the public. Photos: Monte Cristo Homestead/Facebook.
A professional stuntman who ran ghost tours at a famous ‘’haunted house’’ in Junee has vowed to continue its legacy after it was closed to the public in mysterious circumstances.
The double-storey Victorian-style Monte Cristo Homestead had been one of the Riverina’s biggest tourist attractions – initially opening as a museum in the late 1960s and then providing paranormal tours and overnight accommodation packages to visitors from all over the world since 1993.
