In 2018, TIKI Brand, a subsidiary of Menomonee Falls-based Lamplight Farms Inc., sought to expand its product lineup and drive innovation to new categories. The company saw demand for an outdoor lighting product that provided relaxing ambiance while also keeping mosquitos at bay. It answered that call by creating its BiteFighter LED String Lights, the only string lights with proven mosquito repellency.
“We have a hard-working team of individuals who continue to listen to what consumers need the most,” said Jeremy Yingst, senior product manager at TIKI Brand. “The TIKI Brand culture is focused on innovation, caring and is accountable to each other and their community.”
The conception, validation and launch of the patented BiteFighter lights was a multi-year endeavor.
2018: The TIKI Brand team spent time in backyards across the U.S to learn what consumers liked and didn’t like about their lighting. During a collaborative brainstorming session, they came up with the idea for “string lights and bug repellent in one.” The team then developed a string light and identified a mosquito repellent that would repel mosquitos through silent, invisible and odorless protection.
2020: The product entered the testing phase. The team conducted consumer research, environmental simulation testing as well as tests in real-life environments to ensure the string lights could handle various temperatures and outdoor elements. TIKI Brand applied to register the product through the Environmental Protection Agency.
2020 - 2021: At its Menomonee Falls facility, TIKI constructed and tested a bottling line the team would use to fill its patented repellent pods with BiteFighter Mosquito Repellent.
2021: The team received the necessary federal and state approvals to go to market, and TIKI Brand launched its BiteFighter LED String Lights in June 2021. With the flip of a switch, the weatherproof lights offer not only warm-toned ambiance, but also a 330-square-foot mosquito protection zone for up to 200 hours.
Each 36-foot string of lights is equipped with three repellent diffusers containing replaceable pods filled with repellent.
