When Unilever reached out to Scrub Daddy CEO Aaron Krause in 2021 about a potential partnership that would give him exclusive U.S. distribution rights to one of its biggest cleaning products, he told them he wasn’t interested, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Unilever – a British multinational consumer goods behemoth whose brands include Ben & Jerry’s, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Dove, Comfort and Seventh Generation – initially wanted “Shark Tank” success story Scrub Daddy to just distribute its Cif all-purpose cleaning cream.

“I sell Scrub Daddy. I’m loyal to my brand,” Krause told PBJ.com.

So, he came back with a proposal of his own, resulting in a selection of co-branded products that will push South Jersey-headquartered Scrub Daddy into untapped international markets while bringing Cif to the U.S. and Mexico. Krause conservatively projects that the deal will “at least double, if not triple” Scrub Daddy’s sales by the end of 2024.

The cleaning products brand, known for its smiley-face sponges, already does “well over” $100 million in annual sales, he said, growing roughly 120% annually for the past few years.

Already in 27 countries, the partnership is expected to roughly double Scrub Daddy’s international market presence following a multiyear phased roll out, which has already begun.

“They put their first order into Singapore – it sold out in a week,” Krause said. “It’s unbelievable, the whole thing, how well it’s already working.”

PBJ.com breaks down just how a partnership through the co-branded Cif cleaning cream could help Scrub Daddy expand.

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