From Garage to Australian Household Name
What began as a simple quest to find toothpaste their children would actually use has transformed into a remarkable four-decade Australian manufacturing success story for Melbourne couple Mike and Michelle Aronson.
The entrepreneurial journey started in the 1980s when the Aronsons were operating a health-food shop in Prahran. Their daughter Tammy Seligmann described the available fluoride-free options as "disgusting" - imported products that were brown, bitter, completely unappealing to children.
"The kids turned their noses up at them," recalled Mr Aronson, prompting him to ask his wife the fateful question: "How hard is it to make a natural toothpaste?"
The Birth of an Australian Icon
That simple question set in motion a business venture that would span generations. The couple consulted with an industrial chemist and had their first batches produced under contract in Melbourne. They stored the initial production in their garage and personally posted boxes of toothpaste tubes to individual Coles stores.
The brand they created, Grants toothpaste, took its name from the street where the family lived in Malvern East. Their timing proved perfect, as the product immediately resonated with parents seeking toothpaste with fewer additives without the premium price tag.
"We decided to bring a toothpaste to market that contained no fluoride, no sugar, all natural, and was basically the same cost as Colgate," Mr Aronson explained.
Staying True to Australian Roots
Four decades later, the family business continues to manufacture in Melbourne, maintaining operations from their office and warehouse in Huntingdale. Remarkably, they still work with the same local producer that helped them launch the brand.
Today, Grants offers both fluoride-free and fluoride-containing toothpaste varieties, along with other natural products, providing customers with genuine choice at the checkout.
Ms Seligmann attributes the brand's enduring success to its commitment to local manufacturing and the trusted Australian Made certification. "We know what's in our ingredients because we can go down and see them," she stated proudly.
The family emphasizes that manufacturing locally not only ensures quality control but also keeps Australian jobs in the country. "We can inspect all of our packaging because it's made here, too - and manufacturing locally keeps jobs here," Ms Seligmann added.
She offered this advice to Australian consumers: "I think keeping money in the country is a really big thing that everyone should be concerned about. If you can find an Australian alternative to a product, buy that."
The Grants story demonstrates how a simple family need, combined with persistence and commitment to local manufacturing, can create an enduring Australian business success that spans generations while supporting the local economy.
