Mystique hits the skids with $950,000 debts

Carbon neutral operation Mystique Print is in voluntary liquidation, with the company, which operated out of Rowville in Melbourne and Surry Hills in Sydney, set to be wound up.

Unsecured creditors are owed $681,000, with $173,000 due to preferential creditors, including $118,000 owed in staff entitlements, and there is $91,000 in secured debt to NAB.

Print 21 understands the customer list has been bought by another Melbourne print business, with Mystique’s 13 staff moving over to the buyer.

Of the $681,000 owed to unsecured creditors the ATO is owed almost half at $305,000, the two big paper merchants are owned $93,000 between them, various Greene family members are owed $143,000, with $110,000 owed to 33 trade suppliers, along with $30,000 to Amex.

The business, which ran two B2 offset presses, suffered along with the whole Victorian commercial sector during Covid, and then had issues with its landlord of 15 years, who wanted to significantly increase the rent.

Mystique was founded by Darren Greene in 1990, and he is, or was, still at the helm of the company, which ran offset, digital and wide format presses when it went down. It also offered creative services and marketing for its clients.

The company made a name for itself as an eco-pioneer in the industry, and claimed to be “Australia’s only government certified 100 per cent carbon neutral full service provider”, and said it was the first carbon neutral printer in the country.

Mystique was the subject of a question in federal Parliament to Julia Gillard when she was prime minister, from local member Alan Tudge, in regard to the carbon tax, with Tudge questioning why Mystique should have to pay it when it was so environmentally advanced. The PM brushed aside the question, but the carbon tax never eventuated.