Meet the Glee 2026 New Faces: How Marvellous Mulch Is Reinventing a Garden Centre Classic
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Every September, Glee, Europe's biggest buying moment, shines a spotlight on the brands, products and innovations set to shape the future of garden retail. For buyers, it is the one date in the calendar where the UK's garden suppliers, specialists, and enthusiasts all gather under one roof, making it the natural place to start if you are wondering how to source garden products wholesale or simply where to find garden suppliers worth your time. Why Glee?
One of this year's most interesting newcomers is Marvellous Mulch, a Norfolk based business that has taken one of gardening's oldest products and given it a thoroughly modern makeover. Ahead of the show's opening, we caught up with Emily Dyer, UK Sales Manager, to find out why Marvellous Mulch chose Glee for its debut.
How do you give a gardening classic a fresh twist?
Mulch is about as old school as garden products get, but that is exactly what makes it such fertile ground for innovation. Straw mulch in particular has long been a staple for gardeners who care about soil health, yet it has always come with a catch.
"Straw mulch has always been a brilliant natural product," says Emily. "Gardeners love it because it helps retain moisture, suppress weeds and improve soil health. The problem is that it can also be messy, awkward to handle and difficult to spread. We wanted to solve those frustrations without losing everything that makes straw such an effective mulch."
That mix of familiarity and frustration is precisely the gap Marvellous Mulch has set out to fill. Produced in Norfolk, the product is made from carefully chopped, dust extracted wheat straw enhanced with seaweed, cleaner to use, easier to apply and offering impressive coverage. It has been designed with both gardeners and retailers in mind, which matters enormously to the garden product suppliers and garden wholesale suppliers who need stock that sells itself on the shelf as well as in the border.
Why Glee?
For a brand launching into a crowded gardening supplies market, choosing the right stage matters. For Emily, there was only one option.
"If you're introducing something genuinely different to the garden retail market, Glee is where you need to be. It's the biggest buying event in the industry and the place buyers visit specifically to discover new products, new suppliers and fresh ideas. That's exactly why we're so excited to be exhibiting for the first time."
It is a decision that speaks to something bigger than one brand's launch strategy. For garden centre buyers building out their supplier lists, and for anyone asking where to find garden suppliers who are actually bringing something new to the table, Glee remains the reference point, drawing wholesale garden distributors and independent garden centres alike in search of the next product that will genuinely stand out.
Can you breathe new life into an established category?
Innovation is not always about inventing something completely new. Sometimes it is about taking a product gardeners already trust and making it work even better, and that is the thinking behind Marvellous Mulch. By refining traditional straw through a specialist chopping and dust extraction process, before enhancing it with seaweed, the team has created a mulch that is easier to spread, less messy to use and capable of covering up to eight times further than many conventional mulch products.
"We're really looking forward to seeing people's reactions," says Emily. "It's one of those products that makes sense as soon as you pick it up. Buyers can see the quality, feel the difference and immediately understand how it could appeal to their customers."
For garden centres weighing up which wholesale garden supplies to bring in for the new season, that kind of instant, tactile appeal is exactly what turns a stand visit into an order.
How does Marvellous Mulch respond to today's sustainability trends?
Sustainability is no longer a niche concern in garden retail, it is the conversation shaping almost every buying decision. Water conservation and soil health in particular have moved firmly up the agenda, backed by hard evidence of changing shopper habits. According to the RHS State of Gardening Report 2025, 70% of gardeners who bought compost in 2024 chose a peat free option, a clear signal that natural, sustainably sourced alternatives are what today's customers are actively seeking out.
Emily believes Marvellous Mulch is perfectly placed to meet that demand. "Gardeners want products that work harder whilst being kinder to the environment. Marvellous Mulch helps retain moisture, supports biodiversity and improves soil health, all whilst being made from natural, sustainably sourced materials. It ticks a lot of boxes for today's gardener."
That combination, a natural material, a genuine performance improvement and a sustainability story that is easy to explain on the shop floor, is precisely what garden centres are hunting for as they refine their ranges for a more environmentally conscious customer base.
Where can you see it for yourself at Glee 2026?
As first-time exhibitors, the Marvellous Mulch team are looking forward to introducing the brand to retailers from across the UK, building new partnerships and demonstrating why they believe there is room for fresh thinking within one of gardening's most established categories.
"We'd love buyers to come and have a chat, see the product for themselves and discover why we're so passionate about it," says Emily. "We're confident they'll leave with a completely different view of what straw mulch can be."
It is a fitting note for a show built around discovery. For garden centre buyers still building their supplier list for the season ahead, Marvellous Mulch is a reminder that some of the best finds at Glee will not be the flashiest new gadget on the floor, but a familiar product reimagined.
Visit the Marvellous Mulch team at Glee 2026 (8 – 10 September) on stand 20K64 to experience the product firsthand through live demonstrations. Register for your free ticket today and be part of Europe's biggest buying moment.
If you like what you've seen here, why not join us in-person for the retail event of the season? Autumn Fair runs from 6-9 September 2026 at the NEC, Birmingham, co-locating with Glee on 8-10 September. Register for free here, and join our newsletter for the latest updates before the show.