Couple on track to make £30 million after setting up hand sanitiser business just 12 weeks ago
7 July 2020, 11:15
A business making hand sanitiser has secured contracts worth £30million.
A couple in Edinburgh could make £30 million after setting up their own hand sanitiser business just 12 weeks ago.
Appearing on This Morning on Tuesday, Andrew and Rachel Montague revealed they now employ 12 people and have secured deals with Aldi and the Post Office.
Speaking to hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield said they set up ClearWater Hygiene in March after their construction company was forced to close four sites.
Andrew explained that as lockdown was being announced, he saw the importance of focusing on UK manufacturing to ensure health providers could access high quality and fairly priced products.
He said: “This business had to be really ethical and entirely British.
“We’re really proud of the fact we’re British made - the sanitiser is made in a distillery in Aberdeen in Scotland and the bottles are blown in Wolverhampton.”
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He then explained how the couple are supporting British businesses with a scheme which means they don’t have to pay anything for two months.
While the idea originally started off in the family’s kitchen, with Andrew, Rachel and their four kids getting involved, the company now makes more than 900,000 litres of its product each week.
The sanitiser is produced at Deeside Gin Distillery in Banchory and then bottled in Preston, Lancashire.
It contains 80% ethanol liquid which means it is suitable for use in hospitals, care homes and other public health facilities.
Despite only being open for 12 weeks, the company has secured major contracts with customers including the Post Office, JD plc, O2 Retail, BP, and Aldi.
The firm has made more than £3m in actual revenue since its launch in March and has donated significant quantities of its products to NHS charities.
It has an expected total contract value of £30m.
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