Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, is an indicator that you’ve left those peaches or vegetables sit a bit too long on the counter. They are tough to get rid of, multiply rapidly and can carry germs and foodborne illness—and that that’s a risk for homeowners not to mention restaurants and bars, commercial kitchens, farm stands and wineries, to name a just few places these pesky critters invade.
 
Mat Franken is CEO of Greenville, SC based Aunt Fannie's, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of FlyPunch!, billed as a non-toxic, all-natural fruit fly pesticide that is fast, simple and safe to use around food. Franken developed his initial formulation a number of years ago after his neighborhood in Florida was inflicted with a swarm of fruit flies one October evening.
 
“We tried all remedies that we found online…and nothing worked,” Franken told Happi. “I couldn’t understand that in this technological age there wasn’t something to get rid of fruit flies.”
 
So Franken, who was working in finance, began to “tinker” over the next four years on his own solution, researching existing options and reading white papers.
 
“I considered myself a vengeful hobbyist,” said Franken, who eventually came up with a mix that got rid of fruit flies in a few days.
 
“I did nothing with it, though, other than pat myself on back,” he said.
 
But a few years later, when his neighbors in South Carolina found that fruit flies hitchhiked in with some local produce, he offered to mix up a batch of his punch. They laughed at him, but called back 24 hours later to tell him that it worked—and he should consider selling his concoction.
 
“I came to realize that there wasn’t a product up and down food chain that would get rid of it… in agriculture or food manufacturing or bars. And I knew that there wasn’t anything in retail for consumer use,” said Franken.
 
Seeing the opportunity, he brought in a chemist to tweak his “home brew” into the current patent-pending formulations that rely on citrus pulp, maleic acid, ethyl lactate, a vinegar component, coconut derived sodium lauryl sulfate and water.
 
“The company’s DNA is built around transparency,” said Franken, who, along with his son have severe food and chemical allergies. “We are committed to bringing to market products that are non toxic. The [ingredient] panel is simple, but we are protected.”
 
Aunt Fannie’s packaging plays a role too. While competing products have a top with small openings designed to trap the flies, Aunt Fannie’s pack has a flip top lip and with an open aperture. “With ours, the magic is in the formula and an aromatic chamber that attracts the flies.”
 
The formulation, which attracts the flies away from food sources, has a disabling agent that affects their ability to escape.
 
Yet, with home remedies easily found on the internet and a competitor in the space (although a pre-market product study found Aunt Fannie’s outperformed that mix by more than 500%), will Aunt Fannie’s attract customers?
 
Franken contends the current success of and increasing demand for FlyPunch! is indicative of the consumer trend for household solutions that are earth-friendly and people-safe.
 
Monica Nassif agrees.  Nassif, who founded Mrs. Myers Clean Day and Caldrea, recently joined the Aunt Fannie’s board of directors.
 
“Aunt Fannie's offers consumers a product that improves their home cleanliness, helps reduce the risk of food-borne illness and imparts a solution that doesn't degrade the planet.” Nassif said in a statement. “Fruit flies can be a real issue for households, and I'm excited about helping Aunt Fannie's solve such a common problem.”
 
The commercial side shows great promise too.
 
According to Franken, while great strides have been made in the sourcing and the quality of the foods we eat, the next phase of the food supply chain is the products that are used on and around them.
 
As an example, Franken cited a commercial fruit fly remedy that relies on an ingredient derived from a nerve agent in World War II.
 
“We are building a brand and company focused on those most sacred places with food. There are things currently in those spaces that are extremely toxic for us to ingest. This is the next stage.”
 
On the retail side, Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch! can be found regionally in Whole Foods, Hy-Vee and other regional chains as well as True Value hardware stores. For the commercial side, Franken has been exhibiting at shows such as the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.
 
“It (2015) has been year of growth on shelves for us,” said Franken, adding that there’s more to come. “We do have products in the pipeline.”