Meet Pete, the bloke behind MulchSpot
G’day, I’m Pete Jefford — founder of MulchSpot, a proud dad to two young boys, and a trade arborist in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. This wasn’t built in a venture-capital boardroom. It came from twenty years on the tools, a lot of late nights at the kitchen table, and a simple goal: make the green industry work better for everyday Australians, and leave something solid for my kids.
From red dust to canopy work
I was born in Alice Springs Hospital in 1987 and spent the first 18 years in the Centre. Sitting locked behind a desk under fluoro lights was never going to cut it. I needed to be 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.
For the past 12 years I’ve owned and run Jefford Tree Services. If you run an independent trade, you know the drill: I’m the bloke on the ropes, doing the quotes, the marketing, the bookkeeping, the BAS, the insurances, and keeping every bit of iron running. I’m also doing my Diploma in Arboriculture. I know the trade because I still live it.
Why MulchSpot exists
Running tree crews showed up a massive disconnect:
- Arborists are chipping clean timber on site, then burning hours in traffic hunting for a legal place to drop it.
- Homeowners, community gardens and acreage properties are crying out for quality woodchip to build soil and hold moisture.
After twelve months of building and testing, I launched MulchSpot on 12 June 2023. Locals register where they need clean woodchips. Passing crews offload locally, cut the wasted kilometres, and stop dumping good chip. Today that network runs across Melbourne and around Australia — about 1,900 drop sites, and a few hundred arborists on the map.
Growing into quotes
As MulchSpot grew, people kept asking for more. They wanted a straight-shooting local crew for the rest of the outdoor jobs — not their number sold on to a handful of companies.
So we added quote requests on the same map. You put the job up, with photos. Up to three crews can unlock it. They quote you, and you pay them. MulchSpot doesn’t take a cut of the invoice. I built it that way because I’ve been the bloke on the other end of a bad lead.
Community, recovery, and mental health
I didn’t start behind a desk, and I didn’t start with new gear. I cut my teeth out of an old ute, building Jefford Tree Services one job at a time before this truck and chipper setup. Over nearly twenty years I’ve seen the worst and the best of the industry — including standing with crews on 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
Like a lot of blokes, the last few years have had their challenges. Divorce and shared custody make you look hard at your time. Dragging brush, running chippers and climbing trees takes a physical toll, and your kids only grow up once.
MulchSpot is built so I can spend more of that time with my sons while they’re young, and leave them something that actually belongs to them.
I still run it myself. Some weeks that means late nights on the map, the website, and the emails, on top of the tree work. What started in Melbourne is now Australia-wide. Next is New Zealand, then Europe and North America.
Whether you’re waiting on a mulch drop, after an honest quote on a dangerous gum, or a local tradie keeping the book full — thanks for backing an Australian, family-run platform.
Cheers,
Peter JeffordFounder, MulchSpot & Jefford Tree Services