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Judy Blyth says her discovery of a non-toxic, eco-friendly stainless steel cleaner was a fluke.
"It was a bit like hitting an atom," she said.
The 58-year-old had been living in an apartment at Auckland's Viaduct Harbour when she unwittingly discovered a way to get stubborn finger marks off her stainless steel benchtops and appliances.
The marks had been annoying her, particularly when picked up by the afternoon sun, so she was delighted when, one day eight years ago, she accidentally spilled a substance on the kitchen bench and found it left a beautiful shine. Ms Blyth's Brilliance stainless steel cleaner is now sold around the world.
She will not reveal the recipe, except to say it is a combination of plant and vegetable oils, but she claims it is the only organic, non-toxic stainless steel cleaner on the market.
Brilliance was first sold in aerosol cans, but Ms Blyth changed tack when she realised the product's green potential, and it is now sold in wipe form. Until recently, it was used mainly by industrial clients, but the former real estate agent and her business partners have begun making forays into the local retail market and are already seeing the strength of consumer demand.
Ms Blyth also hopes recent certifications from Environmental Choice Australia and NSF International, a US-based public health and safety company, will open up further retail markets overseas.
Brilliance also has New Zealand Food Safety Authority approval and industrial customers include Fonterra dairy plants. The MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas uses Brilliance to clean, and Disney World has just placed an order.
