Interpret the brief
Review the design intent, destination, project stage, climate, maintenance assumptions and commercial constraints.
Who Ornatec is
About Ornatec International
Premium tree, palm and shrub procurement for ambitious landscapes where quality, timing and export confidence matter.
Founder-built / export fluent
Horticultural judgement for projects where living material cannot fail.
Ornatec International was established by founders James and Barbara McGeoch to provide advisory, consultancy and procurement services for trees, palms and shrubs to international projects. The company is now owned and directed by Isaac Olson and Lachlan Duffy, with the founders continuing as consultants to the business, keeping three decades of export depth behind every schedule.
The business is built around a simple reality: a plant schedule is only useful when the stock, source, preparation, export route, receiving climate and establishment conditions have all been tested together.
48+ years horticultural and agricultural experience
34+ years exporting plants internationally
30+ landmark contracts across Asia and the Middle East
Test source reality
Compare owned facility capacity and supplier access across Australia, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, New Zealand and Europe.
Plan the route
Check phytosanitary requirements, treatment, quarantine, packing, freight method, staging and receiving-site practicality.
Protect establishment
Consider rootball, acclimatisation, moisture management, site readiness and credible substitutions before supply is committed.
- FoundationHorticultural depth before export scale
James and Barbara built the company from practical agricultural, nursery and plant production experience.
- Export capabilityInternational supply became a core discipline
Decades of export work shaped how Ornatec thinks about source regions, preparation, certification and freight.
- Major project workDisney, Macau and Middle East destinations
Large resort, theme park, casino, roof garden and public realm work proved the need for specialist procurement judgement.
- Next chapterA permanent knowledge library
The new archive can turn printed project records into searchable plant intelligence for clients, staff and future projects.
Export of trees, palms, shrubs and indoor plants
Project procurement, sourcing and export support for living material that must arrive prepared for its destination.
Urban design and landscape master planning
Advisory input across destination landscapes, public realm, resorts, parks and complex mixed-use environments.
Nursery design and production systems
Practical production experience, supplier assessment and facility planning for advanced plant material.
Urban forestry and arboriculture
Technical support for tree assessment, transplanting, protection, diagnostics and establishment.
Ornatec International Consultancy (Beijing) Co Ltd
Provided horticultural advisory and consulting services to major Asian projects including Disney Shanghai and casino resorts in Macau.
Signature Trees
Ornatec owns Signature Trees at Utchee Creek in Far North Queensland: farm capability for advanced Australian trees, hardy native material, project supply review and practical dispatch planning.
Export Registered Establishment
Australian export preparation and certification capability supports centralised dispatch, cleaner documentation and faster processing for international clients.
Responsible production heritage
The Australian farm network brings long-running production knowledge, environmental discipline and practical experience with project-scale living material.
Milestones
Four decades on the record
Birkdale Nursery leadership
James McGeoch becomes Managing Director of McGeoch's Birkdale Nursery.
Certified exporter
Certified Exporter status obtained, a status held ever since.
An Australian first in quality
First nursery in Australia to achieve ISO 9002 quality assurance for production, wholesale and export, recognised the same year with an Australian Government Citation for Export Achievement.
Heroes Award
Barbara McGeoch receives the Westpac and Australian Institute of Export Heroes Award for outstanding service to Australia's export efforts.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Barbara McGeoch named Entrepreneur of the Year by Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales at the International Congress in St Petersburg.
The Disney years
Advanced and character trees supplied and installed at Disneyland Hong Kong, then Disneyland Shanghai.
Macau resort landscapes
Landscape supply across Macau's integrated resorts, from City of Dreams and Caesars Golf to MGM and Wynn Palace.
Saudi giga projects
Plant supply and advisory for Red Sea Global, Amaala and the Green Riyadh programme.
Recognition and certification
Credentials that travel with the plants
ISO 9002, an Australian nursery first
The first nursery in Australia certified to ISO 9002 for the production, wholesale and export of horticultural products.
B Corp certified
Associated company Emaho Trees was the first farm in Australia and New Zealand to achieve B Corp certification for positive social and environmental impact.
Export Registered Establishment
An Australian Government licence to prepare and certify plants for export, giving Ornatec a centralised despatch point for international clients.
Keep exploring
The people, the projects and the working records behind this story.