Hello! I'm Emrah, the founder of Koda Moss. 

Koda was established during COVID-19 after I realised there was a lack of readily available live moss in the retail space for people to use in their projects at home. It was only accessible to those in the know because of their connection to the wholesale flower market. 

My passion for moss first sprouted while working for my father in his small foliage supply business for the florist industry. While at the supplier's warehouse one day, he noticed someone pulling up with a box of live moss to sell to the supplier. This was a lightbulb moment for him, as he grew up exploring Australia's rainforests and national parks. He knew he could find a lot of moss and would love doing it at the same time - the forest, after all, was his second home.

While searching for new areas to find unique foliage to prune and sell, my father decided to swing by a forest to start scouting for moss. It was time to evolve beyond pruning Camellia trees and start foraging for moss.

Little did we know, this would be the spark for an explosion in the moss industry in Australia. When we stumbled upon a field of green moss in the forest, we both just stood there in awe at what we were looking at. This was our family's moment to create a unique legacy that complemented our love for nature.

I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was 16 at the time. We brought a few bed sheets with us to use as makeshift swags, into which we'd pile moss, having no real clue about what we were doing. It was hilarious - mum stood by and watched as my father and I looked like rugged Santas trekking through the forest, with giant stuffed bed sheets slung over our shoulders. Since then, a lot has changed.

Through my own interest, I've recognised the growing fascination in people for moss, terrariums, Kokedama, and other DIY moss projects. However, moss was only available to the wholesale market and so was quite difficult for people to find, as well as the fact that removing the amount of moss from the wild required to satisfy the wholesale flower market was detrimental to the ecosystems of the area and the ability for the moss to regenerate - not to mention that most of the moss back then was thrown away after the need for it was through.

I made the decision to stop our contribution to the detriment of the forest by providing live moss directly to the public so that anybody and everybody can find and easily use moss in their projects without taking from the forest more than what is needed. You can read more about how we do this here.

I am ever so grateful to be afforded the opportunity to continue and build upon my father's legacy while exploring Australia's forests in search of moss and lichens for you all. It's an absolute privilege bringing the joy of a fascinating corner of nature's universe to the homes of thousands of people.

To follow the Koda story as we evole, check us out on Instagram.