Lauren Baron
BRANT NEWS

A little piece of Brantford will once again make its way down the Oscar red carpet.

Local entrepreneur Taren de St. Croix’s Earthpawz products will find their way into celebrity gift bags at the 84th annual Academy Awards, being held on Sunday, Feb. 26.

“I am really excited,” de St. Croix said. “It is kind of a special year for us because we are launching new products. It’s nice to have an opportunity like that where we can send them into something like the Oscars.”

This year’s bags will include a bottle of the yet-to-be-released Smelly Dog pet odour eliminator, as well as Dirty Dog floor cleaner, Doggie Slobber glass cleaner and Doggie Grime all-purpose cleaner.

This is the second year in a row that Earthpawz products have made their way into the coveted Oscar gift bags. The environmentally friendly, non-toxic pet cleaning products were chosen because they are green, de St. Croix said.

“Like every one of our products, everything is toxin free,” de St. Croix said. “They are always looking for environmentally friendly products and everyone knows there are so many celebrities with dogs that are really into their dogs. Having our products is a good fit for the bags.”

Nominees for top awards, including actor and actress in a leading role, will head home with a bag filled with Earthpawz products. That means stars like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Glenn Close and Meryl Streep will receive them.

“I think that a lot of the celebrities, if you read about them, they tend to look for green products and support a lot of environmental groups,” de St. Croix said. “I feel pretty confident that when they go through the bag they will find a product that they will actually use.”

Last year, the products made their way into the hands of Los Angeles-based television personality Tamara Henry. The former news anchor and Oscar correspondent featured the product on her online eco-show GreenT with Tamara.

“I love that Earthpawz products are naturally derived, non-toxic and biodegradable,” Henry said on her show.

Earthpawz started two years ago, after de St. Croix noticed her two dogs, Oreo and Daisy, kept getting sick after she washed the floors. What was labelled as a “natural” product actually contained a large amount of non-natural chemicals.

Using her background in chemical manufacturing, de St. Croix teamed up with a chemist to create a product that was made entirely from ingredients derived from plants.

“I started using it at home and the dogs haven’t been sick since,” she said.

The idea developed into a line of seven products that includes an oxy stain remover, a toilet bowl cleaner and a wall and baseboard cleaner. Earthpawz products are now sold in more than 700 stores across Canada and de St. Croix recently signed a deal to sell her products through PetPlace.com, a leading U.S. pet retailer.

“It’s been really challenging, but it’s so rewarding,” she said. “I love that I’m doing something for the environment as well as trying to build a business. When I first started, I was so excited to get two bottles sold in a pet store and I feel the same way now.”

Visit www.earthpawz.com for more information.