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.
From Family Frustration to Business Inspiration
Back in the 1980s, while running their health-food shop in Prahran, the Aronsons faced a common parental challenge. Their daughter Tammy Seligmann and other children refused to use the available fluoride-free toothpaste options, which were imported, brown, bitter and – in Tammy's words – downright "disgusting".
"The kids turned their noses up at them," Mr Aronson recalled. This frustration sparked a simple question that would change their lives: "How hard is it to make a natural toothpaste?"
The Birth of an Australian Icon
The couple's journey into manufacturing began with seeking advice from an industrial chemist. They had their first batches produced under contract in Melbourne, stored the initial stock in their garage, and personally posted boxes of tubes to individual Coles stores.
From these humble beginnings, Grants toothpaste was born, named after the street where the family lived in Malvern East. The product immediately resonated with Australian parents who wanted toothpaste with fewer additives but weren't willing to pay premium prices.
"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.
Sustaining Local Manufacturing for 40 Years
Today, the family-owned business continues to manufacture in Melbourne, maintaining teams of people working from their office and warehouse in Huntingdale. Remarkably, they still work with the same local producer that helped them create those first batches four decades ago.
The company now offers both fluoride-free and fluoride-containing toothpaste, along with other natural products, providing customers with more choice at the checkout while maintaining their commitment to Australian manufacturing.
Ms Seligmann emphasises that customer trust stems from their ongoing certification with the official Australian Made logo. "We know what's in our ingredients because we can go down and see them," she said. "We can inspect all of our packaging because it's made here, too – and manufacturing locally keeps jobs here."
The family's success demonstrates how responding to a genuine market need while maintaining strong principles about local manufacturing can create enduring business success. As Ms Seligmann puts it: "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."
