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Making her mark in cryogenics: Marcia Edwards leads her family’s business into its next phase

05 March 2019
Jobs, Land and Economy
2 women are standing outside on a sunny day. They are wearing hardhats and smiling at the camera. In the background are 2 men, standing next to a large vehicle. White smoke is rising from the ground.

Cryogenics may have a reputation made for sci-fi but its real world applications are just as fascinating. Leading The Cryogenics Group is co-director Marcia Edwards, a Woppaburra woman from Keppel Island off the coast of Queensland, who is the second generation of her family in the business.

Back from the dead? Not really. Cryogenics may have a reputation straight from the pages of science fiction novels, but its applications in the real world span from fine dining to medical treatments.

Co-director of Indigenous-owned business The Cryogenics Group, Marcia Edwards, said there were a wide range of uses for liquid nitrogen and gas.

‘My parents founded the company in 1993 with the help of a loan from Indigenous Business Australia (IBA),’ she said.

Ms Edwards now leads the company with her mother and fellow co-director Denise Edwards.

Marcia represented The Cryogenics Group at the Indigenous Business Trade Fair at Parliament House in February, where she showed the company’s newest product ‘Bio-Fit™’ – a custom made cryogenic vessel protection sleeve. She also had small cryogenic spray bottles designed to treat skin cancers by freezing them. 

Ms Edwards said that while technology had driven demand from the medical sector, cookery from celebrity chefs like Heston Blumenthal had fuelled demand for liquid nitrogen from the hospitality sector.

‘We sell liquid nitrogen and gas to restaurants as well as IVF clinics, blood banks, medical research facilities and medical centres which treat skin cancers,’ she said.

‘We supply to locations in Queensland, NSW and Western Australia. ’

The business expanded in 2016 with further investment from the IBA. It allowed The Cryogenics Group to add a 22,000 litre liquid nitrogen iso-tank to its fleet, increasing its capacity to store and transport products.

Ms Edwards said the business’s new partnership with Coregas Australia, a Wesfarmers company, had enhanced its capacity and helped to open up more opportunities for growth.

‘It is an exciting time for us and I hope my daughters will one day be part of the company too,’ she said.

‘That would be three generations of The Cryogenics Group which is pretty amazing for any small business but especially for an Indigenous business.’

IBA talked to Marcia Edwards about her experiences in business. See the video here.

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Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) assists Indigenous Australians to own their own homes, businesses and enter into sustainable investments.

IBA is a portfolio agency of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.