Grooming product company The Bearded Chap boosts state sanitiser supplies

Published Tuesday, 07 April, 2020 at 04:24 PM

JOINT STATEMENT

Premier and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk

Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Cameron Dick

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries
The Honourable Mark Furner

Queensland manufacturers are reinventing business practices to boost supplies of sanitiser needed by the medical sector and community workers for protection against COVID-19.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland producers and manufacturers were stepping up to the plate when it was needed.

“I asked Minister Dick to look at Queensland’s supply chain and now we’re seeing Queensland companies change what they do to meet our current needs,” the Premier said.

Minister for Manufacturing Cameron Dick said the Queensland Government is currently working with around 20 businesses that are scaling up or changing production to make sanitiser.

“Many well-known companies have swapped over factory floors to boost the manufacturing of hand sanitiser in Queensland,” Mr Dick said.

“The list includes Beenleigh Rum, Bundaberg Rum, and now Enoggera-based grooming product manufacturers The Bearded Chap.

“My department has secured 3000 litres of ethanol from Bundaberg Rum Distillery for The Bearded Chap, enabling it to produce up to 13,000 bottles of sanitiser.

“We continue to identify ethanol supplies for Queensland companies, including THC Pharma, Perfect Potion and Concept Labs, who have all heeded the call to ramp up production of sanitiser.”

Member for Ferny Grove Mark Furner said it was fantastic to see local companies like The Bearded Chap step up when it’s needed most.

“Queensland is known as an incubator for startups and emerging, innovative businesses, and this is perfectly showcased through The Bearded Chap’s agility and responsiveness,” Mr Furner said.

The Bearded Chap CEO Luke Swenson said his focus was to get much-needed supplies of sanitiser to the medical sector.

“My partner is a doctor and we have friends in the medical sector, so we know just how badly needed sanitiser is,” Mr Swenson said.

“Frontline workers in the community are also at risk, so knowing we can help them as well makes my team and myself feel like we’re helping win this COVID-19 battle.”

Queensland manufacturers and suppliers can register what they need and what they have available to keep manufacturing supply chains open via dsdmip.qld.gov.au/qld-supplies and the ICN Gateway.

ENDS

Media contact: Ben Doyle 0400 775 561

Images and video for publication.

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