The Don Kyatt Group is proud to announce that they are taking their Terrain Tamer and Flashlube brands to North America.
Terrain Tamer’s journey has been one of growth, across their entire time in business, since first opening in 1969, in Melbourne’s South East certainly, but particularly over the past five years, which has seen them not only open a second Papua New Guinean location in Lae, and their 10th Australian location with a branch in Townsville, but also successfully expand into new markets in the capitals of Cape town, South Africa and Santiago, Chile.
Now, on October 1st, 2024, the brand is set to open their 19th and newest site the 9th internationally, expanding into the USA, with a warehouse in Stockton, California, a short drive inland from San Francisco.
Georg Esterer, who is the former operator of Californian business Cruiser Brothers, a Terrain Tamer reseller for the past 10 years, will take the helm as manager of the branch, and use his and his team’s extensive industry knowledge to help build the brand throughout the North American region.
Having already spent a week in Melbourne earlier this year for on-site training with the management team at Terrain Tamer’s head office, Georg is well versed in the company culture and operations of the brand, and ready to adapt it to the local market he knows so well.
“We have had a number of wholesale customers in North America for almost 40 years, but to do our brand justice, with 60,000 lines, our own operation is required. The U.S consistently has the third highest number of visitors to our website in the world, even though we have never been on the ground ourselves. It may seem strange after 55 years, but only now are we ready for the rapid product development that the US demands, as we need to adapt our offering for their car parc,” says Terrain Tamer General Manager, Brent Hutchinson.
“When we reached out to one of our distributors about being part of our journey, there was an instant ease that only comes with a natural fit. Georg, Roark, and their team have robust knowledge of the North American 4WD market, are rusted on to their customer base.”
“We understand the challenge of taking an Australian brand into the American market but we are all excited by the work and adaption ahead of us.”
Along with Terrain Tamer’s 4WD parts, the Californian warehouse will also stock the company’s Flashlube products, offering a range of lubricants, additives, grease, and preventative engine maintenance hardware such as diesel pre-filters and catch cans.
The news of the company’s expansion was marked with a visit from Victorian State Parliamentary Minister, the Honourable Melissa Horne, who visited the Don Kyatt Group head office, along with local government Minister Sara Connolly to congratulate company Managing Director and founder Frank Hutchinson and General Manager Brent Hutchinson on the announcement.
