ARLINGTON — Three years after their family started what would become “Zombie Tinder” in their garage, Arlington’s Mike Raether and his two sons could soon have a contract to sell their homemade fire-starter to Africa.
“Zombie Tinder” acquired its flaming logo from son Nate, and its name from its durability under fire. When lit, it stays burning for at least 15-20 minutes, and typically continues to provide warmth by smoldering for another half-hour.
“The name fits because it’s ugly and hard to put out,” Raether said.
The family is excited about its possible buyer in Africa.
“We’ve been in contact with a cocoa plantation in Africa that needs a nontoxic product to deforest some areas for cocoa production,” Raether said. “This all started because we were frustrated with products that didn’t deliver the results they promised, but we soon realized we had a really good idea that we wanted to share with the world.”
Raether is a heating and air conditioning professional who used his career skills to develop a fire-starter that could boil water off from wet flammable materials. His proprietary formula includes beeswax and Carnauba wax. It is tailored to suit five climates and terrains — “The Olympics,” “The Rockies,” “The Deserts,” “The Cascades” and “Forest & Trail Tin.” A can containing up to seven ignitors retails for $13.99 each.
“We used to buy products where we had to burn everything in the can just to get a fire going,” Raether said. “With Zombie Tinder, it’s durable enough to keep it in your pocket, but soft as cotton on the inside. All it takes is one spark to light it up.”
Mike’s son Isaiah was able to light up a small ball of Zombie Tinder with a single metal-to-metal spark, but they noted that it can also be lit with a match or a lighter by using its attached fuse.
The two teenagers are home-schooled high schoolers who have helped their father with the manufacturing and shipping of Zombie Tinder right out of their garage. The product is available online at www.zombietinder.com and through Amazon.com, as well as through the Canteen Shop in Greenville, Ohio.
Rob Simpson, who runs the Canteen Shop, has told Raether it’s his third-best seller. Last year, Creek Stewart featured Zombie Tinder on an episode of “Fat Guys in the Woods” on the Weather Channel. Stewart even included Zombie Tinder in his Apocabox of survival supplies.
Ultimately, the Raethers would like to open their own storefront, but in the meantime they do business online, and ship their products around the world.
