Looking Back on Rock ‘N’ Soil

This year has been a very special one for Rock ‘N’ Soil because it marks 40 years since we opened our doors. We may have gone through a few name changes and our yard might have had a bit of a glow up, but one thing remains the same; a commitment to excellence and extra care for our community that only a family business can give.

Keeping it in the family

Throughout our 40-year history, Rock ‘N’ Soil has always been a family business. With each passing year our staff and even our customers have each contributed with their own improvements and special touches to make the business what it is today. As you can see from the pictures above and below, we sure have come a long way and with each step we have learnt lessons in how to make coming to Rock ‘N’ Soil a great experience for our customers and staff.

Small Beginnings: Tingalpa Landscaping Supplies

Rock ‘N’ Soil was originally known as Tingalpa Landscaping Supplies and started as a humble ‘ma & pop’ landscaping yard. The business saw major changes over the years – with new technologies from the 80s and 90s making their mark. People from all across Brisbane still recall with fond memories our previous name and often love to reminisce on how much the look of the yard has changed and the company has expanded its range.

The Sihota family

After working as a corporate lawyer Robinder Sihota, the current owner of Rock ‘N’ Soil, came across an opportunity to draw closer towards the industry he had grown up in.  In the 80s in Birkdale, Robinder’s parents started the The Flower Farm – this is where he and his siblings grew into the farming industry. Robinder already had a handle and knack for finding good soils, soil conditioners, mulches and other supplies for his parents at the farm, so when the opportunity came up to take over Tingalpa Landscaping Supplies he jumped at the chance and his mind could not stop churning with plans and ideas for the future.

One of the first things Robinder did was to make our yard more customer friendly and formulating a layout that was neater and displayed our large range in a more attractive manner. We still get comments (especially in wet weather) about how neat and easy our yard is to navigate compared to others in the industry. He also had a vision to create a yard where customers feel comfortable and confident enough to rely on us for advice.

Too often Robinder had found himself in other landscaping yards where he felt uncomfortable; no one approached him to check if he needed help and when he did ask for help staff where not knowledgeable about their product range. His aim was to create a yard that was the opposite. A yard that was easy to navigate, an office that was stylish and welcoming, staff that would approach you and provide you with product information and last but not least a team that could make the whole process easy and quick for tradies that needed prompt service.

Making the switch to Rock ‘N’ Soil

In the 2000s Rock ‘N’ Soil reached some major milestones with a few name changes before settling on Rock ‘N’ Soil and the bold switch to bright orange. The idea was to make us stand out from the crowd and when choosing a colour and we just couldn’t go past that mandarin orange hue. Eye-catching and maybe even a little ‘in your face’, everything in our yard switched over to that iconic shade of bright orange, even Caterpillar machinery was customised orange in the Illinois Factory. You will often see us trucking around Brisbane and beyond with our orange trucks — it is pretty hard to miss us!

After the rebrand, Rock ‘N’ Soil has continued to improve our customer experience by expanding our range, seeking out the best suppliers, creating a yard environment that is clean and welcoming, and training up our staff to go that extra mile. Very early on we decided that putting the focus on superior customer service was our priority as a business.

Rock ‘N’ Soil: What we want to change

One of the great things about Rock “N’ Soil is that we are constantly evolving and improving. We are always looking for new premium products, looking at ways we can improve them customer experience and are always making sure we are on top of the latest trends in the landscaping world. We’re proudly Queensland’s first and only accredited landscaping supply yard supplier with Landscaping Queensland.

As of today, we have some exciting plans on the horizon; from giving our customers the ability to shop online to expanding to almost 20,000m2 of product range – just to name a few. It helps when you have a leader like Robinder Sihota who is as passionate about the business now as he was when he was first handed over the mantle:

“Now, more than ever there is a need for families to design and build homely spaces to enjoy and create memories in. Our homes are our sanctuaries, so it makes sense to add those personal touches. From the texture of a paver to the natural finish of a rock these materials help our customers realise their dream projects and helping people realise their dreams is something that makes working in this business one of my greatest joys.”

Contact Rock ‘N’ Soil

Looking for more information about rocks, soils, mulches, turf and anything else landscaping-wise? It’s easy to keep in the loop by following our blog page. Remember, if you’ve got any questions, you can contact the friendly team at Rock n Soil anytime. We’re here to help!