Shubug

One night while we were outside late working around the clock on a project, we were getting eaten alive with nowhere to go to get protection. The wife of one of the Shubug founders happened to be a mosquito magnet and had the idea that the facility we were working on should carry "Off" for the guests who would frequent the place. Her husband responded "No way!! That stuff is horrible for you!" Well the conversation couldn't just end there; it led to some research which then led to some learning about essential oils that are healthy for humans, but unhealthy for bugs. The surprise and the happy accident, frankly, was we didn't just find healthy and effective natural oils, we also found stuff that is virtually unused by any of the available products on the market. What then started as just a small-batch intention to provide insect repellent for the locals who come to the facility, turned into a full-scale roll-out of a lifestyle brand who happens to make safe and effective insect repellent so you can play all day with a single spray.

We believe in a brand-first approach to business so work started on the brand in 2021. Although it seems a little backwards to some, work on sourcing ingredients and product development started shortly thereafter. In the meantime we were already introducing the brand to major retailers. The response was positive with requests to sample the product which led to some rather challenging conversations. But once we explained how it makes sense to start with the "belief" of our future company and build our products into the "why" we want to exist as a brand in the first place - they always seemed willing to wait and see what we would eventually come up with. Now we have a line of products that were born into the belief that fun-havers of all kinds should have a healthy but effective go-to for protection against bugs. Everything that we make going forward will live into that story. ShubugÆ Sad Bugs, Happy YouÆ.