Our Story

In 1972 Maria and Sterio Raskopoulos saw an opportunity to buy a run-down dry cleaning plant in Earlwood. Maria, then a presser, could see potential if changes were made and was convinced that she and Sterio could turn the business round. Sterio left his employment and they committed to the business.

The family realised that hard work and dedication to customers was the key to its success so whenever a customer was having a problem with their laundry the Rasko's made a commitment to ensuring it got done quickly and professionally. Sterio and Maria worked hard, very hard, sometimes 16 hours a day, whatever was needed to get the jobs done to the highest standard.

In 1986 Peter, their son, together with Michael, their son-in-law joined the business and took over the management of the business. Michael, a chartered accountant, had a family background of operating a dry-cleaning business from his home in Perth and brought his experience to the mix.

Peter and Michael worked hard and quickly gained a solid reputation for delivering quality and consistency. Even though their small retail operation had limited room and equipment they began to pick up high volume contract work with large hospitality, government departments and aged care clients.

In 1991 Rasko's bought an 1100sqm factory in Marrickville and moved all the current equipment onto the new property. In 2001 Rasko committed to a newly refurbished continuous batch washer and increased the capacity of volume of linen able to be processed. Over the years’ new equipment was added to improve efficiency and quality.

With the security of many commercial contracts, in 2005 Rasko was able to commit to a complete factory renovation. Between 2005 and 2010 Rasko conducted a complete refurbishment on equipment and the property. The final product is now regarded by many within the industry as the cleanest and most professionally operated commercial laundry in Sydney - many of the suppliers and service technicians now joke the factory floor is so clean for a commercial laundry that they can now eat off it.

During the upgrades, Michael and Peter worked with chemical consultants and equipment manufacturers to develop more sustainable practices using the new equipment. The special processes and treatments that were developed won Rasko awards from local and state government.

In 2011 Rasko rebranded with a fresh logo to help better reflect the modern and professional operation that has always been offered to clients and acquired a new fleet of vehicles to carry the new look of the company.

In late 2011 after all the rebranding and refurbishment was complete our sales team began heavily targeting the Hotel Market which had not been a market that had been focused on due to our limited capacity and original market focus on aged care. After a short marketing campaign to get the Rasko name to the new market several large Hotel Clients were taken on in June 2012.

Rasko have built a solid foundation over the last 40+ years and with the upgrades and refurbishment has now doubled productivity. Rasko still affords the luxury of an extra shift available to be filled with new work and contingency for current client and are keen to offer new clients the quality and service that has come from over 40 years of experience.

All operations are now managed and driven by the 3rd generation of the family, maintaining their strong family business ethic.

The success of the business over the years has been due to a balance between the drive and enthusiasm toward new technology and systems that younger generations are enthusiastic about, combined with the experience, guidance and values that the older generations impart into the younger generation.

We recently purchased and implemented the fastest and most advanced towel folding machine available, an Australian first. It is in full swing now after being introduced into our production line. It boasts the ability to quickly fold and stack oversized towels that are becoming more popular amongst our clientele.