It was an absolute pleasure to have the team at Today Tonight visit our Paw Paw Farm in the Northern Territory. Here is a transcribe of the article that was aired on Channel 7.
“Well it’s the product that has been taking the country by storm, Tom McArthur became known as the paw paw man for his natural creams and ointments. An empire he started in his kitchen and now as David Richardson reports, new products have been added to the range.
On an isolated property in the steamy north end of Australia, another McArthur is experimenting with paw paws. His name is Darren McArthur. If he looks familiar that is hardly surprising, in the McArthur family, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. Today Tonight has for 6 years, followed the McArthur families’ ventures using paw paw extract to produce paw paw creams, soaps and lotions. Now Tom’s son Darren has launched his own creations with a small plantation on the Adelaide River.
Darren kicked off his venture nearly 2 years ago planting 300 paw paw trees and experimenting with the pulped fruit. At first giving his products to friends to try then selling to select stores across the country, now he wants to go national. We have a face lotion, facial soap and a body soap. Every spare centimetre in his home is crammed with paw paws. Like his father before him, Darren mixes the paw paw extract with ingredients sourced from his local supermarket, but there is a secret ingredient! The concentrations of paw paw extract and different parts of the fruit, come up with different colours with different results, but so far reactions from Darren’s soaps have been as promising as those as his father’s famous creams.
Tanaya says: “to me, it’s amazing, it opens up your pores and cleans your face”. Tanaya has been using the soaps as an everyday face cleanser and makeup remover. She was skeptical at first because she had trouble in the past with other cleansers. Tanaya says, “With sensitive skin it was hard to find something that works with dry skin, but this soap works well”.
Darren’s Dad, Tom McArthur first came to our attention in 2010. When he revealed for the first time his experiments using paw paw extracts to make creams and lotions, the mechanical engineer playing with fruit chemistry. Tom began selling his products from a small shop in Queensland, the demand was so great, he set up a factory, devised a label and sold across the country. McArthur Natural Products was born. But he needed a business brain to take that business forward. Enter disgraced lawyer Trevor Brickell, who with members of his family, virtually took over the company to the point, where no member of the McArthur family was involved in McArthur’s Natural Products and Tom was back where he started, making his creams for his friends in his small home kitchen. He had one lasting prediction though, Tom says: “It will come again”. A prediction fulfilled by his son Darren. Reporter “What would you like to say to your Dad if he was here”? Darren replied: “I hope you are happy, son! It would be good to get him here, give him back some dignity I suppose”.
Darren and Rachel have now set up Real McArthur Paw Paw Products with his variety of soups, with plans to also branch out into creams within the next 6 months. Welcome back Paw Paw Man!!