Spotlight: Grandpa Gus Masters Pest Control Using Natural Ingredients

The pest control industry is full of products and services with lots of chemicals and necessary safety precautions. But Grandpa Gus believes that simple, natural ingredients are often enough to do the job. So the company created a line of products that are both effective and safe. Read more about the business’s philosophy and unique products in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Offers natural pest control products.
Content Marketing Manager Kari Williamson told Small Business Trends, “The Grandpa Gus brand offers an array of natural rodent, mosquito and insect control products that are safe, reliable and effective, when used as directed. With Grandpa Gus products, you do not need to make a compromise to protect your family or your home.”
Business Niche
Mouse-repellent pouches are made with natural ingredients.
Williamson says, “Our Mouse Repellent Pouches have been around for over a decade and are produced in the United States using plant-based active essential oils: Peppermint Oil and Cinnamon Oil. Plus, the oils are carried in a limestone base, so mice aren’t tempted to eat the pouches as they do with some corn cob-based pouches.”




Business Origin Story
As a small, one-product venture.
Williamson adds, “Grandpa Gus’s started out as a very small local business with mouse-repellent pouches to provide an easy natural solution to keep mice out of homes. The brand grew as demand grew, and now Grandpa Gus’s products are available nationwide.”
Biggest Win
Distributing with popular retailers.
Williamson says, “Earning retail distribution in Menards and achieving a high ranking on Amazon with our Mouse Repellent Pouches demonstrated how effective and desirable our product is.”
Biggest Risk
A major rebrand and expansion.
Williamson explains, “In 2023, the Grandpa Gus brand took on a massive rebrand to update the brand’s image to reflect the common sense, simple solutions the brand offers. In addition to the rebrand, Grandpa Gus’s product line expanded to include insecticides, personal repellents, expanded rodent control and mosquito control solutions.”

Lesson Learned
Prepare for big changes ahead of time.
Williamson adds, “With less than six months to rebrand and launch, we found ourselves scrambling a bit and struggled with producing robust and diverse content to support the launch.”
How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000
Marketing activities.
Williamson says, “Funding new product development and creating content to support new product launches through paid media campaigns and robust landing pages.”
Company Mascot
A stuffed rat.
Williamson says, “For a long time, we had a little stuffed rat that sat in our office in Cincinnati. He creeped out too many people though and was booted out.”
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Image: Grandpa Gus
This article, " Spotlight: Grandpa Gus Masters Pest Control Using Natural Ingredients " was first published on Small Business Trends