Bug Soother has secured a deal to distribute its product in 500 stores throughout the UK with one of the country’s leading pharmacies.
Bug Soother UK exclusively distributes Bug Soother, an American-made insect repellent, in the UK and has now secured a deal with LloydsPharmacy.
Entrepreneur Willie Petrie, who has until now, been selling Bug Soother at trade fairs, online and at local hardware and sporting outlets said this was the break he had been waiting for.
He said: “I have been selling Bug Soother UK since 2015 and once people have tried it they never go back to anything else, but to have the backing of LloydsPharmacy just goes to show what a quality product we have. Not only does it shield you, but it’s an amazing anti-inflammatory for all types of insect bites. It even works on nettle stings.”
He added: “I have been in negotiations with Lloyds for a few months, but this week we reached a deal and the product is already being distributed through its stores. In America where I discovered the product, it has been flying off the shelves and is now a multi-million pound enterprise. There is no reason why that can’t happen in the UK.”
Willie who lives in Pluscarden just outside Forres believes Bug Soother UK holds the magic formula to repelling many insects but in particular the dreaded midge which has been the scourge of the Highlands of Scotland for centuries.
The midge is one of the north’s biggest problems in the summertime and fending off their ferocious fangs can seem like an impossible task especially as there are over 30 different types of the hungry creature in Scotland alone.
And Willie explained what puts Bug Soother above other products on the market: “Bug Soother is special because there are no chemicals in it. It’s made with lemon grass, vanilla, castor oil, soya lecithin, lemon, vitamin E and purified water. It’s sold in a spray but goes on like a lotion. As has been shown in the States because the product is non-greasy, contains no harmful chemicals at all and smells great it can be used for a whole variety of outdoor activities from horse riding to fishing and golf. I am certain it will repeat its success over here. What is also great is that it contains no Deet.”
Willie, whose studied design at the Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London and until 2012 ran his Highland Timber Buildings business found out about the product by chance as he explained: “It was purely by accident that I discovered it,” explained Willie, “I was online reading a completely unrelated business article and spotted a story about Bug Soother and how it had been a success and had completely sold out. The article said the creators couldn’t make it quick enough and that demand had outstripped supply.
“I just thought that given we live in Scotland which is known for its bugs and midges I would see if they wanted a distributor. Initially, when I rang the couple who have created it, they said no. However, after two years of being persistent, they agreed.”
Last year, Willie Petrie gave some bottles of Bug Soother to some naked ramblers who were doing a Bank Holiday walk in the altogether.
Bug Soother is made by Simply Soothing a family-owned business in Iowa by the banks of the Mississippi. It was created by Freda Sojka who wanted to create something for her five-month-old grandson.
It was an overnight success and to date the company has sold four million bottles.
