Stephanie Cheney, owner of Flick the Tick and Soothing Lotion, stands in the Newcastle production space where she and her family produce their outdoor skincare products. (Molly Rains photo)
As the days get warmer and Maine’s tick season is in full swing, Newcastle entrepreneurs Stephanie and Jesse Cheney want to help keep outdoor enthusiasts bite-free with the help of their natural insect repellent, Flick the Tick, a brand that the couple took ownership of this spring.
“We want to help families enjoy the outdoors,” said Stephanie Cheney on the afternoon of Friday, May 24, in the Newcastle production space where she, Jesse Cheney, and the couple’s two kids work together to bottle and ship their products.
The Cheneys, who also own and run The Tipsy Butler bed-and-breakfast from the same Newcastle space, are not newcomers to the outdoor skincare market. The couple began producing a salve they named Soothing Lotion in 2019, hoping it would bring relief to family members who are highly sensitive to brown-tail moth.
The lotion was a hit, working for many outdoors-related rashes, from insect bites to poison ivy. Soon, more and more friends and family began asking for bottles.
“Everybody wanted some,” Stephanie Cheney recalled.
Encouraged by the demand for the product, the Cheneys began selling the lotion at local retailers such as Sheepscot General Store and The Alna Store.
The couple worked with Heather Peel, a local designer, to labels for the lotion. Peel and her sister, Crystal Hamlin, were also the owners of Flick the Tick, a company they started in 2017 and for which they received national attention, including an appearance on The Today Show.
When Peel and Hamlin offered to sell Flick the Tick to the Cheneys, the couple felt that the time was right to add a product to their lineup. The Cheneys took over Flick the Tick in February.
“The two products work well together,” Stephanie Cheney said, adding that Peel and Hamlin’s support had made the ownership transition easier.
Flick the Tick, a natural tick and insect repellent, and Soothing Lotion, a treatment for itchy or irritated skin, are both made by Newcastle couple Stephanie and Jesse Cheney. (Molly Rains photo)
The Cheneys plan to keep the same proprietary recipe developed by Peel and Hamlin, Cheney said. The repellent uses a mixture of essential oils – including cedarwood, citronella, geranium, lemongrass, and rosemary oil – to keep insects, including potentially disease-causing ticks, at bay.
Cheney said that the brand’s strong base of repeat customers initially gave her confidence in the product.
On May 24, Cheney was preparing to send out a batch of orders destined for locations throughout Maine and as far afield as Ohio, Texas, Kentucky, and others.
Using the formula, Cheney added, has reaffirmed her belief in its effectiveness.
“We find it to be really effective,” she said. “It’s nice to know that this is safe to use on kids, on adults, on dogs – and to be able to know that it’s not harmful to the environment.”
The Cheneys are looking to make Flick the Tick environmentally friendly in other ways, too. The couple is looking to transition to aluminum bottles from their current plastic packaging in the coming year, and is currently in the midst of transitioning to compostable mailers, Cheney said.
Other things will remain the same, Cheney said, including the family nature of the business. Cheney said that the couple plans to continue bottling the formula in their home, with the help of their kids and other relatives.
Cheney, who is originally from Wiscasset, said that she and Jesse Cheney were grateful to be living and working in Newcastle.
“Newcastle is such a great community, and it has been so supportive of our business ventures,” she said. “We feel like we really found our place.”
Flick the Tick and Soothing Lotion can be purchased at local retailers, including the Sheepscot General Store, Jefferson Market & General Store, Renys, Rising Tide Co-op, and more. Flick the Tick is also available on Amazon and at flickthetick.com.
