Greensprays -- Orange's new organic lawn service -- has come a long way in just two months. The service will be opening office and warehouse space in Milford at the beginning of September. But it began with a single mother concerned about her daughter's allergies.
Stacy Deurquiza's infant daughter Isabelle, one of a pair of twins, suffered from strong allergies that had previously resulted in hospitalization. A doctor turned her on to idea of organic treatment, and after it worked with Isabelle, Deurquiza became a strong believer.
"He said, if you take away man-made products and go back to basics, I think your daughter is going to outgrow this," says Deurquiza. "As I strictly followed that, my daughter was off of all medication in 18 months."
So when it came to getting the back yard of her new house under control, Deurquiza didn't want to compromise. When she bought the house, the grass hadn't been mown for twelve years. Much of the yard had been swallowed up by woods. "I even had a fox living back there," she says.
She teamed up with Frank Clancy, an arborist with 20 years of experience, to find an organic spray that would drive away pests while preserving her daughters' health. After years of research and testing, Greensprays was born.
Deurquiza and Clancy offer organic, all-natural and kosher sprays for deer, ticks, mosquitos, weeds and grubs. It's an alternative to toxic products that take longer to dry and could cause adverse effects to children or animals. The organic sprays Greensprays uses dry faster, Deurquiza says. Rather than leaving behind a bitter smell, they use an "invisible" formula that humans and animals can't detect.
And the service grew quickly.
"We started with a small customer base," says Deurquiza. "But if you have one neighbor who has a problem, every neighbor has a problem. It's just a question of whether they're willing to make that investment in their family's health and safety." If a neighbor stops Clancy during a spray to ask what he's doing, he'll put them on the phone with Deurquiza. As a result, the organic spray business has grown organically.
Since June, when Greensprays launched, Deurquiza has added about 100 customers. She comes from a family of small business owners, so "it came naturally to me to be an entrepreneur," she says.
The expansion of office and warehouse space in Milford will give Greensprays the chance to expand the business. But in the end, Deurquiza says, it's all about neighbors and serving the community.
"99% of your purchasing power is someone's attitude in how they treat you," she says. "When you go with us, the co-owner of the company is actually on your property spraying it. When you call the office, the other owner is talking to you. And we'll do whatever we can to make you happy."
"My motto has been," she says, "if you believe in me, I can believe in you."
Learn more about Greensprays on their website or Facebook page.
