Garden Trade News December 2008
Callum Davis believes that all creatures have a right to do their own thing, which is why his Eco-Charlie Natural Slug and Snail Deterrent gently discourages the molluscs from ravaging lettuces and hostas without harming them in any way.
The product began as dried coffee grounds from a cafe where Callum used to work. He had discovered that caffeine is an effective turn-off for slugs and snails - the problem was finding enough coffee to meet demand, so he had to change the formula completely.
The new Eco-Charlie product is sedimentbased, and trades on the fact that slugs and snails don't like crossing sharp edged materials, which aggravates the fleshy foot.
Eco-Charlie has now become a limited company, and Callum reckons he is the youngest garden sundries supplier/director in the country. He claims his Natural Slug and Snail Deterrent recently out'sold Slug Stoppa and Slug Killer (blue pellets) at a local event!
"My main aim now is to raise awareness of the negative effects some chemicals can have on the garden eco-system and to continue producing 100 per cent natural products," he said. "We have many more new products coming out over the next year including spider, deer, fox, rabbit and fly deterrents."
