Business
30 July, 2026
Braschs – from teen employee to owner
SOME businesses simply sell products. Others become part of a city’s identity. For more than seven decades, Braschs has been firmly in the second category, growing alongside Cairns while helping generations of locals maintain their homes, farms and businesses.
Established in 1949, Braschs has become one of Far North Queensland’s most respected names in outdoor power equipment.
From lawn mowers and chainsaws to brushcutters, generators and commercial landscaping equipment, the business has built its reputation on quality products, dependable servicing and genuine customer care.
But the story of Braschs is just as much about people as it is machinery.
Few embody that better than owner Phil Thomas.
At just 19 years of age, Phil walked through the doors of Braschs as a young employee looking for an opportunity. He couldn’t have imagined that decades later he would own the very business where his career began.
It’s a classic Australian story of hard work, loyalty and perseverance.
Rather than chasing opportunities elsewhere, Phil invested his time, knowledge and energy into a business he believed in.
Years spent learning every aspect of the industry – from sales and servicing to understanding the demands of tropical conditions – laid the foundation for eventually taking ownership.
That continuity matters. Customers know they’re dealing with someone who understands, not only the products on the showroom floor, but also the history and values behind the business.
It’s also why Braschs has become a business built on generations of trust.
This is where your dad bought his mower or chainsaw, and today it’s often his sons and daughters walking through the same doors, continuing the family tradition.
Few businesses can genuinely say they have served multiple generations of the same families.
