When a workmate confessed to a co-worker during a smoko break that his socks literally “walked out the door”, the co-worker replied: “I’ll give you my grandmother’s recipe. That’ll fix them”.It did and now, 25 years later, Gran’s Remedy for smelly feet and footwear has become a household name.
From small beginnings when the two workmates and their wives mixed the ‘brew’ and packaged the powder in their Dunedin kitchens, Gran’s Remedy quickly grew from home industry to cottage industry. Initial markets were just four Dunedin pharmacies, combined with mail order sales.
From the mail orders came some encouraging comments: “You’ve saved my life. My son’s smelly footwear was driving us all out of the house”.
“Congratulations. Short of divorcing my husband’s feet from the rest of him, I had run out of options.
It works.”
As orders increased beyond the practical capabilities of the kitchen whiz and the plastic bucket, the two couples invested in a specially adapted concrete mixer to blend the powders. At the same time, the store-bought ‘cream cheese-style’ containers, stick-on-labels and crudely typed instructions for use were replaced by the current moulded pottles you see today.
Then came the most significant breakthrough: the ‘guaranteed to work, or money back’ product attracted Auckland-based distributor Pharmabroker Sales and, combined with the small company’s first ‘gamble’ – advertising Gran’s Remedy on nationwide TV – the product was soon on pharmacy shelves throughout the country.
Due to consumer demand, manufacturing and packaging the product is now handled by a large pharmaceutical manufacturing company.
Gran’s Remedy, with its seven-day treatment guaranteeing up to six months of odour-free feet, has also been put to the test by the Department of Microbiology at the University of Otago. Compared with other products, Gran’s Remedy was the only foot treatment that was 100% effective in eliminating all five of the bacteria and fungi known to cause smelly feet.
From the outset, Gran’s Remedy has been a pharmacy only product, because as its originators say, it was the pharmacies who had faith in the product and helped launch it 25 years ago, and it is pharmacies that most people turn to for advice on problems of this nature.
Now, 25 years since its release, Gran’s Remedy is available in pharmacies nationwide in three different variants: the original scent-free formula, scented and cooling.
Always read the label and use as directed. If symptoms persist or you have side-effects see your pharmacist. Avoid applying to open skin or wounds. Contains zinc oxide, undecylenate, alum
Top of page
Print this page
