Muru Office Supplies are among many of the promising Indigenous businesses to take home accolades at the recent Supply Nation 2023 Supplier Diversity Awards.
The Muru Group was founded by Bidjigal man Mitchell Ross, hailing from La Perouse, southeast Sydney.
In 2014, Muru Group joined forces with Complete Office Supplies to establish Muru Office Supplies.
This collaborative effort resulted in a fully Australian-owned enterprise, certified by Supply Nation, specialising in workplace supplies on a national scale.
Supply Nation's recent Supplier Diversity Awards, which were held at the International Convention Centre on Gadigal Land, recognised Indigenous individuals, organisations and companies that have helped create a prosperous, vibrant and sustainable Aboriginal business sector.
This year, Muru Office Supplies took out the prestigious Certified Supplier of the Year category.
This award recognises a Certified Supplier that has driven significant growth in their business and has demonstrated ongoing engagement with Supply Nation.
This award is open to current Supply Nation Certified Suppliers (including sole traders) that are listed on Indigenous Business Direct.
Mr Ross said he was very pleased to see his team's hard work pay off after being involved with Supply Nation for a number of years.
"Being in the Supply Nation space since 2012, I've seen a lot of great business win awards over the years and always wanted to be up there receiving that 'Certified Supplier of the Year' award," he said.
"It's been a long hard slog and it definitely didn't happen over night.
"To finally get up on that stage and accept that award was amazing, very special."
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Muru has plenty more to offer than just office supplies.
Muru Office Supplies and parent company Muru Group have been committed to supporting Indigenous community programs since maintaining a partnership with Complete Office Supplies since 2014.
Their goal of reaching $100 million in annual revenue will translate to more than $500,000 in funds for Muru to contribute each year to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander charities and community programs.
"20 percent of our profits, we donate back to Aboriginal community organisations and that really aligns to 'Muru' meaning pathways - creating pathways for the future generations," Mr Ross said.
Notably, the Muru Corporation is also responsible for the The KO App, created to provide live scores and news for the renowned Koori Knockout rugby competition.
Mr Ross notes he wants to expand the KO App to cover Indigenous sporting events across the nation.
