Photo Submitted By: Christalee Froese

Submitted By: Christalee Froese

“To walk into Peavey Mart and to see a package of Bet’r Bait hanging there, and to see it selling - that’s amazing,” says Loretta Englot, the co-creator of a new mouse bait product that has become a retail success.

Bet’r Bait was launched by two farm families just six months ago, and has already caught the attention of retailers country-wide.

After the non-poisonous mouse attractant was launched at the Montmartre Co-op and featured in the media, it’s small-town Saskatchewan creators were approached by several distributors interested in marketing Bet’r Bait to customers Canada-wide.

“I think the potential is fantastic,” said Doug Miller, a Winnipeg-based distributor who has signed a contract with Bet’r Bait to get the product to retail shelves. “It’s one of those neat little products that has a great price point (about $2.99 - $3.49), it’s non-toxic and it provides people with an easy way to deal with their mouse problems.”

Miller has already inked a deal with Federated Co-operatives Ltd., which has over 200 retail outlets throughout Western Canada. Bet’r Bait is also being carried by Peavey Mart and Poulin’s Professional Pest Control Supplies.

“I believe Bet’r Bait will be picked up by three or four of the largest distribution chains in the country, so everybody who wants to buy it in their community, will be able to buy it,” said Miller, who is the general manager of Strand Distributors Inc. “It’s got opportunity for the U.S. and overseas markets as well - wherever there’s mice, this product will be used.”

A few years ago, Montmartre, Sask. farmers Norman and Loretta Englot came up with the idea of an easy-to-use syringe filled with mouse bait. Farm neighbours and business partners, Kevin and Lydia Shiplack, then created a special non-toxic formula to go into the no-mess dispensers. Many trials have proven that mice prefer the Bet’r Bait formula over peanut butter and cheese.

Bet’r Bait outgrows farm shop

While the two families were using a farm shop as their production facility, the popularity of Bet’r Bait has enabled them to rent an 1,800-square-foot shop in the town of Montmartre. The two couples and their children filled and labeled the first 20,000 Bet’r Bait dispensers by hand. However, the expanded facility, two high-capacity fillers and an on-site packaging machine has meant that the families can produce 700 to 800 packages of Bet’r Bait an hour.

“When we went public with this product six months ago, I was really worried about what we could produce, and if we could fill a large order if it came through,” said Englot. “But now we have 15,000 boxed Bet’r Bait packages ready to ship and we have 250,000 labeled syringes that came from China, so we’re at a point that I don’t have to worry anymore.”

Bet’r Bait has been extremely well received by customers, with the product winning the People’s Choice award for new products at this summer’s Farm Progress Show in Regina. For more information, visit www.betrbait.com.