June 15, 2010
Purmist featured in the National Post:
Small Business-Advice-Entrepreneur

April 20, 2010
Dream Becomes Product Reality

August 6, 2009
Unique Canadian-Made Hand Sanitizer Kills H1N1

February 14, 2008
Study: Frequent Hand Washing Increases Risk of Contact Dermatitis

Media Room

Press Release - June 15, 2010

Purmist featured in the National Post: Small Business-Advice-Entrepreneur

Robert Reeve relishes the opportunity to talk about Purmist, the all-natural hand sanitizer he formulated and is turning into a bonafide business success. Just don’t ask him to reveal the recipe behind his creation.

“In this day and age, you just don’t give away what I call the “Coca Cola secret,” he said during a recent interview.

“I would not want to wake up one morning and find out someone in China is manufacturing my exact product.”

What he will say is his unique blend of essential oils works better than anything else on the market. Offering a guard against 13 types of bacteria and one virus, including the H1N1 influenza, Purmist is a plant-based sanitizer that works for up to four hours.

“Purell and any other leading brands have just a 15-second kill,” Mr. Reeve said. “We stand alone in this technology.”

The 42-year-old, whose company MKR International Inc., is based in Erin, Ont., a town north of Toronto, dreamed up the idea behind Purmist in 2000 while training with the Canadian Forces.

After several years building a prototype and testing its efficacy at ATS Laboratories in Minnesota, the final product was patented and introduced to consumers in 2008.

It is available in nearly 1,000 stores across Canada, including Shoppers Drug Mart, Mark’s Work Warehouse, Metro and Jean Coutu.

With more than $500,000 in sales to date, Purmist is firmly established in Canada, and heading into the next cold and flu season, Mr. Reeve is ready to expand into select U.S. markets. He is also intent on expanding his product line and he is working on a biodegradable towelette he hopes to launch soon.

Mr. Reeve sees opportunities across North America but also internationally, for both retail consumption and commercial use in hospitals, nursing homes, emergency and military services. “It’s easier to see where this can go, than where it can’t go,” he said. “The potential is massive.”