Natpat: The Backyard Mosquito Problem That Became A Global Brand

NATPAT began with a problem co-founder Michael Jankie could see in his own backyard. His young children would come inside after a short time outdoors with mosquito bites, and he wanted a different approach for his family.

That frustration became a conversation with his oldest friend, Gary Tramer. Together with Andrei Safonau, they would build a brand around sticker-based products, a playful format, and the everyday challenges they encountered as dads.

The Mosquito Bite That Started Everything

In springtime Melbourne, Michael’s children were one and a half and four. He recalls them returning from just 20 minutes in the backyard with red welts, with reactions and disrupted sleep becoming a concern for the family.

He spoke to Gary about what that might mean for their summer holidays. Gary preferred exploring nature-based alternatives, and the conversation sent both friends into a day of thinking about possible solutions. It was a personal problem before it was a business idea.

Citronella Meets Stickers

The idea was to combine citronella with a sticker format that children might actually enjoy wearing. After experiments and, in the founders’ telling, plenty of mosquito exposure, they had a prototype six weeks later. Their children were the first testers.

The founders came from tech careers, and Michael describes the move from lengthy business-software feedback cycles to immediate consumer reactions as energizing. Testing with their families shaped their development process, but is not the same as independent clinical evidence or a guarantee of effectiveness.

Three Dads, Three Perspectives

From A Garage To An International Business

The founders say they did not initially expect their idea to travel so far. Their brand account describes expansion beyond Australia into the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, the Middle East, Asia, and places such as Guatemala, Ecuador, and Iceland.

According to NATPAT, it works with more than 10,000 retail stores in 32 countries while maintaining partnerships with over 5,000 independent shops.

The Principles Behind The Products

NATPAT describes four guiding ideas: start with nature, make products fun, test them with the founders’ families, and consider the planet. The brand highlights essential oils in its ingredient philosophy, playful designs in its sticker format, and compostable materials and recyclable packaging in its environmental commitments.

Review the materials and disposal guidance for each product rather than assuming every component has the same properties. Likewise, nature-derived ingredients are not automatically suitable for every child, adult, or pet; product-specific directions and cautions still matter.

A Wider Family Of Products

Beyond BuzzPatch, NATPAT’s broader brand story includes outdoor products such as MagicPatch, SunnyPatch, and TrailPatch, and kids’ wellness lines such as SleepyPatch, ZenPatch, FocusPatch, StuffyPatch, and AllergyPatch. Different products have different functions; SunnyPatch is described in your collection as a UV-detecting sticker, not sunscreen or a replacement for sun protection.

The brand also describes a growing pet-care range including Pet Zen, Pet Allergy, and flea-and-tick-repellent products. That wider range is part of NATPAT’s story, not a statement that every named product is currently available in this collection.

Why We Carry Natpat

We appreciate the personal origin and playful design approach behind NATPAT. The founders began with a challenge in their own families, and built a range whose formats are intended to feel approachable rather than clinical.

Explore the current collection below for ingredients, intended use, age guidance, application instructions, available options, and pricing. For persistent symptoms or health concerns, seek appropriate medical or veterinary advice rather than relying on a sticker as treatment.