Meet Pete, the bloke behind MulchSpot
G’day, I’m Pete Jefford. I’m a trade arborist, a dad to two boys and the founder of MulchSpot. I’ve spent plenty of afternoons behind the wheel of a truck full of good woodchip, wondering who nearby could use it. I started MulchSpot at my kitchen table to make it easy for that person and that crew to find each other.
From red dust to canopy work
I was born in Alice Springs in 1987 and spent my first 18 years in the Centre. I’ve always been happiest outdoors, working with my hands.
Melbourne became home 15 years ago. I cut my teeth on local council tree crews, then finished my trade arborist apprenticeship with Tree Amigos Victoria.
I’ve run Jefford Tree Services for 12 years. Some days I’m on the ropes. Others I’m quoting jobs or getting the chipper ready for an early start. I’m also working towards my Diploma in Arboriculture. The time I still spend on the tools shapes how I build MulchSpot.
A shorter trip for the crew, mulch for the garden
After a year of building and testing, I launched MulchSpot on 12 June 2023. If you’ve got room for a load of mulch, you can put your place on the map. An arborist finishing a job nearby can see your request and get in touch to arrange a drop. You can also offer to chip in for delivery, which helps cover the crew’s time and fuel.
Picture a crew pruning a gum and a community garden a few streets away that needs mulch for its fruit trees. One local drop can save the crew a trip to the tip and give the gardeners a way to keep moisture in the soil over summer. That’s what a circular economy looks like to me. Something valuable from one job gets a second use, right in the neighbourhood it came from.
Connecting locals with outdoor work
As the mulch map grew, people started asking if we could help them find someone to prune a tree, grind a stump or lend a hand in the garden. As a bloke who quotes his own jobs, I liked the idea of helping other local businesses find work close to home.
You can now post a job with photos on MulchSpot. Up to three crews can access the request and get in touch. You choose who you’d like to work with and pay them directly. The crew keeps the full invoice amount.
Community, recovery, and mental health
I started Jefford Tree Services out of an old ute and built it one job at a time. Over nearly twenty years on the tools, some of my proudest moments have been alongside other crews, including during the Kinglake bushfire recovery in 2009.
The trades are hard on the head as well as the body. That’s why we partner with and fundraise for the Blue Tree Project — men’s mental health and suicide prevention — and sponsor the Victorian Tree Industry Organisation (VTIO).
From 1 October 2026, $1 from every mulch site sold will go to the Blue Tree Project.
What I’m building for
I’d love my boys to point to a garden one day and say, “Dad helped get the mulch there.” I’m building MulchSpot so I can spend more time with them as they grow up and leave them something they can be proud of.
My vision is for a crew to finish a job anywhere in Australia or New Zealand and know there’s someone nearby who’ll be glad to see that truck pull in. I’d love to see the idea travel further, too. Every time someone adds a drop spot, delivers a load or hires a local crew, they help make that possible.
If you’ve put your place on the map, tipped a load or told a mate about MulchSpot, cheers. You’ve helped build this alongside me.
Cheers,
Peter JeffordFounder, MulchSpot & Jefford Tree Services