S13.E22: Pulp Pantry; Kawaii Lighting; Pricklee; Ooakshell Headbands

[JTMacc99]

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An entrepreneur from Los Angeles, California, is on a mission and presents her new way to snack with impact with her line of healthy treats utilizing recycled vegetable waste. Entrepreneurs from North Hollywood, California, pitch their simple and cute professional lighting product to help one look their best online; while entrepreneurs from Boston, Massachusetts, hope to refresh your life with their delicious, hydrating beverage filled with antioxidants and made from a common desert plant. An entrepreneur from Dallas, Texas, hopes the Sharks can wrap their head around her one-size-fits-all fashion accessory with multifunctional use.

 

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In a Shark Tank update, husband and wife Jacob and Michelle Sendowski from Media, Pennsylvania, update their investor Mark Cuban about Dino Don, the largest and most accurate robotic dinosaurs and creatures for zoos, museums and attractions.

The Sharks in this episode are Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner and Guest Shark Emma Grede.

 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Sharks are guest Emma Grede, Mark, Lori, Barbara,  Kevin.  

1. Pulp Pantry-they pulp organic produce, and leftover remnants of juicing. they turn it into veggie chips. vegan, grain free, glutten free.   Kevin likes the taste.  Margins are decent.  They get the veggie pulp from 2 huge juice companies, so the big company doesn't have to pay a composted to remove the leftover pulp.   As Barbara says, it's a very full competative space.  Mark makes the deal.  He'll be a great partner, he has a lot in this space. 

2. Kawaii Lighting-helps you look your best online.   It puts stars, hearts, and cats into your eye iris image.  There is a carrying case for the light for travel.  They were in Shenzhen China, and discovered the lights $350 cost to buy the heart light, sales are $250k the one year they've been in existence.   Barbara makes the deal

3. Pricklee-cactus water, the latest and greatest according to the sellers. low calorie, 1/2 the sugar of coconut water.  Expensive to ship, and hard to get shelf space.   The sell in the northeast right now. Price is equivalent to coconut water, and not as nutritious.  Takes little water to grow, great antioxidents.    Kevin makes his first beverage offer. Barbara makes the deal.  

4. Ooakshell Headbands-adjustible, wide and narrower tie dyed headbands. A one-size fits all headband, that's fully adjustable using the ring that comes with it.   Put it on with the ring, it stays in place, you tuck the tail in the back.  Margins are astounding, about $1.35 to make, and sell for $35.  (They also produce tie dyed aprons). She does everything herself.  Each headband is unique.  Emma Grede makes a great offer, and makes the deal.

Update on Dino Don, they have a lot more dinos, and giant bugs now.  The company has grown a lot, and is international now.  They're now a $4 million plus sales operation.

Edited May 7, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Quickbeam]

Oooh, for the first time I have info on one of the products. I am a product tester (as a hobby, been doing it 15 years) and in 2020 was sent a case of the Pricklee water, same exact can and flavors. It was ok, kind of bland…you wouldn't throw it out but it wouldn’t be the first thing you reach for. So they have been trying to make this happen for a while. 
 

The headband woman was *a lot*.

[DrSpaceman73]

6 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

Oooh, for the first time I have info on one of the products. I am a product tester (as a hobby, been doing it 15 years) and in 2020 was sent a case of the Pricklee water, same exact can and flavors. It was ok, kind of bland…you wouldn't throw it out but it wouldn’t be the first thing you reach for. So they have been trying to make this happen for a while. 
 

The headband woman was *a lot*.

I'm amazed the headband woman was doing all that herself. Making a ton on her own but yes, can't sustain it. 

Pricklee water....pass. the flavors didn't even sound good.  And I know people don't like Mr wonderful, he is blunt and not always nice, but I think Barbara is a bitch.  She obviously just did that deal to piss him off, Hope she loses it all. Mr wonderful was just taking a flyer on it and actually agreed with her about things then she gets all shitty over his offer. 

I don't get the star light thing at all. $300 for a light?  Did the math they sold like 850 of those total last year.  

Veggie chip thing is a good idea just seems pricey.

[DEL901]

16 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I'm amazed the headband woman was doing all that herself. Making a ton on her own but yes, can't sustain it. 

Pricklee water....pass. the flavors didn't even sound good.  And I know people don't like Mr wonderful, he is blunt and not always nice, but I think Barbara is a bitch.  She obviously just did that deal to piss him off, Hope she loses it all. Mr wonderful was just taking a flyer on it and actually agreed with her about things then she gets all shitty over his offer. 

I don't get the star light thing at all. $300 for a light?  Did the math they sold like 850 of those total last year.  

Veggie chip thing is a good idea just seems pricey.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the deal wit( Barbara falls through.  A number don’t work out after the Due Diligence phase.  

Headband lady got the right shark.   Their businesses could have synergies.  

[KaveDweller]

The reason headband lady has such low costs are because she's doing everything herself. Which isn't sustainable. So that cost is going to go up once she starts scaling up and has to pay someone to make the product or package stuff. But she seemed nice, and her product decent enough, so I hope she does well. I think Emma could certainly make her successful.

I totally didn't get the light ring. I gather it is some kind of light to make you look good in selfies or on video calls? Do people really pay hundreds of dollars for something like that?

I like the idea of sustainable food, but those chips didn't look that different than anything else out there. They need to work that into their packaging or something to get traction. Mark was probably the right partner for her.

[Kiss my mutt]

Aren’t there online filters that do that on Snapchat?

[Vermicious Knid]

I agree there is a market for cute ring lights but those are vastly overpriced. You can get a decent non-cute ring light on Amazon for like $25.

Have literally never had the problem the last entrepreneur solved, because I have a tiny head. If I buy a hat it's got to be a kid's size.

Pulp makes me think of two things, the pulp in orange juice which I find nasty, and wood pulp which is not at all appetizing. She needs a new name.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 5/6/2022 at 9:35 PM, KaveDweller said:

The reason headband lady has such low costs are because she's doing everything herself. Which isn't sustainable. So that cost is going to go up once she starts scaling up and has to pay someone to make the product or package stuff. But she seemed nice, and her product decent enough, so I hope she does well. I think Emma could certainly make her successful.

I totally didn't get the light ring. I gather it is some kind of light to make you look good in selfies or on video calls? Do people really pay hundreds of dollars for something like that?

 

The margins were so low for the headband lady, that I think that a company producing and packaging for her, will still be very profitable.  

I really think hippie when I see tie dyed, I wonder if the headbands are color fast, or if you'll end up with a tie died head?   

The light ring puts the shape on your eye iris, and improves your looks online, so I'm sure the light rings will sell very well.   I'm guessing they came on the show for publicity, and the Shark Tank sales bump. 

I agree Pulp Pantry needs another name.   Pulp doesn't sound tasty. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[nlkm9]

23 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

The reason headband lady has such low costs are because she's doing everything herself. Which isn't sustainable. So that cost is going to go up once she starts scaling up and has to pay someone to make the product or package stuff. But she seemed nice, and her product decent enough, so I hope she does well. I think Emma could certainly make her successful.

I totally didn't get the light ring. I gather it is some kind of light to make you look good in selfies or on video calls? Do people really pay hundreds of dollars for something like that?

I like the idea of sustainable food, but those chips didn't look that different than anything else out there. They need to work that into their packaging or something to get traction. Mark was probably the right partner for her.

So if they have an item that’s high priced the sharks coo about the margins. That is not sustainable with those headbands - funny how 2 contestants were wearing Emma’s clothes- i can’t wait to try the chips

 

[bilgistic]

I hate the headband "business." The "entrepreneur" is appropriating Black women's culture, and charging $35 a pop for it. Of course she made a deal with the woman who works with the Kardashians. No surprise at all.

There are already heart light rings on the market.

[DrSpaceman73]

Just now, bilgistic said:

I hate the headband "business." The "entrepreneur" is appropriating Black women's culture, and charging $35 a pop for it. Of course she made a deal with the woman who works with the Kardashians. No surprise at all.

There are already heart light rings on the market.

Only black women can wear headbands?  

They're literally handmade and each one unique.  They dont seem overpriced. 

[bilgistic]

The African American Woman's Headwrap: Unwinding the Symbols, by Helen Bradley Griebel

Culture, Power, and the Appropriation of Creolized Aesthetics in the Revolutionary French Atlantic by Jonathan Michael Square

[eel21788]

On 5/7/2022 at 12:56 AM, Vermicious Knid said:

Have literally never had the problem the last entrepreneur solved, because I have a tiny head. If I buy a hat it's got to be a kid's size.

 In 60 years of life, I have never found the need to wear/purchase a headband.

She says she has only sold 10,000 units because she can't keep up with the demand; however, I don't see much of a market for it other than a short-term fad. 

[eel21788]

On 5/6/2022 at 8:35 PM, KaveDweller said:

I totally didn't get the light ring. I gather it is some kind of light to make you look good in selfies or on video calls? Do people really pay hundreds of dollars for something like that?

People who are trying to monetize their youtube channels would buy it, as well as teenagers with a lot of disposable income. That counts me out.

It negates the need for that octopus thing to hold your phone for you while you film, so they are competing with products they have already invested in. Ditto for the cactus water and the vegan-of-the-week item.

If they are using someone else's garbage to make their chips, how can they guarantee that the whole process is vegan? Maybe the farmers used horses to plow their fields or chickens for insect and rodent control. 

[KaveDweller]

33 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

 In 60 years of life, I have never found the need to wear/purchase a headband.

She says she has only sold 10,000 units because she can't keep up with the demand; however, I don't see much of a market for it other than a short-term fad. 

Headbands were very popular when I was a kid (in the 80s) and I know a lot of people are still into them now. I don't think it is a short-term fad, but I do think it is not something everyone will be into. That is fine for a business though, most clothing related items won't appear to everyone.

[Cotypubby]

On 5/7/2022 at 11:09 PM, bilgistic said:

I hate the headband "business." The "entrepreneur" is appropriating Black women's culture, and charging $35 a pop for it. Of course she made a deal with the woman who works with the Kardashians. No surprise at all.

There are already heart light rings on the market.

🙄 TIL only Black woman can wear headwraps.

[nlkm9]

On 5/7/2022 at 11:09 PM, bilgistic said:

I hate the headband "business." The "entrepreneur" is appropriating Black women's culture, and charging $35 a pop for it. Of course she made a deal with the woman who works with the Kardashians. No surprise at all.

There are already heart light rings on the market.

Thats absurd. I have owned and worn many headbands throughout the decades, and seen many if my friends put them on their kids . Not everything is black “ appropriation” . 

[bilgistic]

I didn't say, "Only Black women could wear headbands"; I said, "The entrepreneur is appropriating Black women's culture."

Black cultural appropriation didn't start last week, last year or four decades ago. I linked just two scholarly articles with historical references about appropriating just head wraps. All of Black culture has been appropriated since time immemorial. There's a ton of research and lived experience one can easily read about. If you choose to not believe oppressed people's experience, well, I don't know what to tell you.

There are ways to honor other cultures without appropriation.

[KaveDweller]

42 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

I didn't say, "Only Black women could wear headbands"; I said, "The entrepreneur is appropriating Black women's culture."

Black cultural appropriation didn't start last week, last year or four decades ago. I linked just two scholarly articles with historical references about appropriating just head wraps. All of Black culture has been appropriated since time immemorial. There's a ton of research and lived experience one can easily read about. If you choose to not believe oppressed people's experience, well, I don't know what to tell you.

There are ways to honor other cultures without appropriation.

From those articles, it sounds like head wraps were appropriated from black culture over 100 years ago. Since then they've been worn by women of all races/cultures. This entrepreneur isn't newly appropriating black culture because the use of headbands has already become so prevalent across all cultures.

Honestly, I find it very hard to tell the difference between when something is an acceptable influence and when it is appropriation.  

[Reciprocity]

Make your own adjustable headwrap with a couple of O rings, an old scarf or strip of fabric, and a needle and thread. Or just tie the O rings to one end if you don't want to sew it. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Reciprocity
Clarifying which product this relates to.

[Diana Berry]

On 5/9/2022 at 10:25 PM, bilgistic said:

I didn't say, "Only Black women could wear headbands"; I said, "The entrepreneur is appropriating Black women's culture."

Black cultural appropriation didn't start last week, last year or four decades ago. I linked just two scholarly articles with historical references about appropriating just head wraps. All of Black culture has been appropriated since time immemorial. There's a ton of research and lived experience one can easily read about. If you choose to not believe oppressed people's experience, well, I don't know what to tell you.

There are ways to honor other cultures without appropriation.

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Diana Berry

[nlkm9]

On 5/11/2022 at 11:39 PM, Diana Berry said:

 

Not sure what your point is, except to look for some tyoe of racism anywhere . Sad .

[LuvMyShows]

 

On 5/6/2022 at 10:35 PM, KaveDweller said:

I like the idea of sustainable food, but those chips didn't look that different than anything else out there. They need to work that into their packaging or something to get traction. 

Exactly what I was thinking.  Usually that would be something Lori would comment on, but if she did, they didn't air it.  I just cannot imagine making those chips, with the mission/passion/purpose that she has, and not having the packaging strongly reflect that.

On 5/6/2022 at 9:00 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Kawaii Lighting-helps you look your best online.   It puts stars, hearts, and cats into your eye iris image.  There is a carrying case for the light for travel.  They were in Shenzhen China, and discovered the lights $350 cost to buy the heart light, sales are $250k the one year they've been in existence.   

IIRC, nothing they said indicated it was proprietary, and it looked like it would be very easy to copy, so I didn't understand why Barbara would want to make the deal.