S15.E17: Chefee; Boona Shower Heads; Let Them Eat Candles; Lady Alpha Nursing Cover

[CrazyInAlabama]

Sharks-Mark, Barbara, Kevin, Lori, Robert

Chefee-a robotic personal chef for the home.   $500,000 for 4%.   The first embedded robotic chef, orders groceries, once a week you open an app and order groceries.   Sharks like the dishes.  Can be changed for allergies, or preferences, number of portions, and you can fix the menu.   Upper and lower part, upper fits in upper kitchen cabinet and stores the materials.  Left side is refrigerated.   Groceries are a food app item separate from Chefee.   A robotic ecosystem that cooks for you.  It’s an induction cooker, and can be installed in any kitchen.   Cost $9,500 with refrigeration extra, premium is $40,000 to $50,000.   The premium version holds more ingredients.  They are pre-revenue/pre-launch.   They have pitched to Wolf SubZero.  They want partnerships with high end designers, chefs, etc.   Raising the money to manufacturer.  There are currently hundreds of dishes available.  Margins are good.   Patent pending U.S. and overseas. Maintenance is claimed not to be a problem. 

Barbara is out. Robert is out. Lori is out.   Mark is out.  Kevin wants maintenance contract included, but offers  $500,000 for 15%.  Counter is 8% for the $500,000.   Kevin wants maintenance, and licensing.

Kevin makes the deal for $500,000 for 15%.

Boona Tandem Shower Heads-an easy-to-install dual showerhead.  $400,000 for 10%. Shower head developed for partner showering.  It’s a shower rod device, with a shower head on each end of the shower rod.   Water pressure is good.  Rating 4.7 out of 5.0.    5,000 shower head devices sold.   Sales are estimated $1.7 for 2023, 54% net profits. It costs $250 for one SKU, other is $299.  They want to build a brand, and looking at handhelds.   Anticipate 2024 at $5 million in sales.    Barbara is out, she’s worrying about water pressure with two heads.   Robert is out.  Mark is out. Mark tells the sellers not to get an investor, but keep going without it.   Lori is out.

( I thought the shower heads and rod device looked flimsy.   Not everyone's shower or tub combo will be able to fit this so it's secure. I think if this catches on, that the big plumbing companies will come out with their own version, and one that will fit longer showers too.)   

Kevin makes two offers $400,000 with a royalty of $40 and 10% equity, or $400,000 for 33 1/3%.   Kevin is out.

No Deal.

Let Them Eat Candles-Edible chocolate birthday candles for special occasions  (this product grosses me out.) $250,000 for 10%.  You can burn the candles, and eat them after the flame is out.   Flame lasts about a minute, then the candle goes out, and you can eat the candle.   Sharks like the taste of the candles. They have dark and milk chocolate, with seven different patterns on the candle.   Only one other edible candle.   Margins are great.  Total sales are $2.3 million, 2023 $1 million in sales, with $100,000 in profits.   They want licensing with groceries, they’re in Publix, want to add others like Kroger, and direct to consumer.    Shipping with gel packs is expensive.   Kevin is out.  Mark is out. Robert is out.  Barbara says include shipping in the price for direct to consumer, and offers $250,000 for 25%.  Lori wants other flavors, like sugar and candy cane, and other colors, offers $250,000 for $125,000 for loan and $125,000 for cash for 20%.    Sellers counter with 15%, and want Lori and Barbara, counters with 18% for Lori, for $250,000 cash

Deal with Lori, for $250,000 cash and 18%.

Lady Alpha Nursing Cover- nursing cover with a built-in fan. $100,000 for 10%. Only nursing cover with a built-in fan, while maintaining eye contact with baby.   Margins are great.  They sold 1400 in 7 months for 7900 units and sold out in very little time.   They opened a waitlist order last month, no customer acquisition costs.  The money is for inventory.  They have almost 500 wait listed, and will have thousands more after this appearance. 

Barbara wants $100,000 for 10%, and purchase order funding.

Barbara makes the deal.

Update:  Youth Foria, with Mark, sales are $8 million now, and in Ulta. 

Iconic Moment:  Scrub Daddy, Daymond lost to Lori. This has been a huge success for Lori, and Daymond is haunted by Scrub Daddies and Lori..

Edited March 10 by CrazyInAlabama

[SoMuchTV]

8 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Boona Tandem Shower Heads-an easy-to-install dual showerhead.  $400,000 for 10%. Shower head developed for partner showering.  It’s a shower rod device, with a shower head on each end of the shower rod.   Water pressure is good.  Rating 4.7 out of 5.0.    5,000 shower head devices sold.   Sales are estimated $1.7 for 2023, 54% net profits. It costs $250 for one SKU, other is $299.  They want to build a brand, and looking at handhelds.   Anticipate 2024 at $5 million in sales.    Barbara is out, she’s worrying about water pressure with two heads.   Robert is out.  Mark is out. Mark tells the sellers not to get an investor, but keep going without it.   Lori is out.

Kevin makes two offers $400,000 with a royalty of $40 and 10% equity, or $400,000 for 33 1/3%.   Kevin is out.

No Deal.

When I saw that, I thought it might be useful for a parent washing up a couple of little kids. But it also seemed overly complicated. Couldn’t you just have a splitter with two handheld showerheads, plus an adhesive mounted base for the second one? 

I'll take their word about the water pressure. My last few shower attachments have had a water-saving insert. I’d think that without that, there’d be plenty of pressure. 

[EtheltoTillie]

The robotic cooking system was so much overkill.  Imagine having to keep those cubicles stocked with the right ingredients. Then how do you clean up?  

[SoMuchTV]

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

The robotic cooking system was so much overkill.  Imagine having to keep those cubicles stocked with the right ingredients. Then how do you clean up?  

Right?! If I chop up some peppers or onions or whatever, I have to make a special effort to make sure I use them all up before they go slimy. Do I have to check out every container daily to make sure stuff is still good?  Seems like potential for a lot of food waste. At least for home use.  Maybe there would be some applications where it would be a cool useful thing, but I can’t think of any right now. 

[seacliffsal]

It really bothered me that, once again, Mark was able to derail an offer made by a shark (in this case Kevin) to a presenter (the shower head thing).  Those guys needed a shark IMO as they seemed not quite...focused.  Kevin could have really helped them but, no, Mark didn't like the offers so he basically torched it.  I really don't like it when any of the sharks do this.  If someone else's offer is so offensive to you-then make your own offer.  But, when they go out and then torpedo any offer made, it just seems kind of arrogant to me.

I'm sure robotic kitchen guy will have sales because there seems to be a wealthy subset of consumers who just want the latest technology.  I see the product being cumbersome and, as Robert said, there are plenty of home delivery services.  But, it does appeal to people to try to be on the cutting edge of technology.

Really don't have an opinion on the breast feeding cover, but if there is a need for being cool while breast feeding, then I think this will work.

Chocolate candles?  I think the novelty will wear off.  I could see this as people buying them once and not necessarily for every celebration.  My friends and I don't even use candles anymore for birthday celebrations (but we certainly have cakes!) and still sing 'Happy Birthday.'  I probably would have gone with Barbara because she does have the connection to Daisy cakes and this could be an add-on.  Lori's first offer was horrible-it was actually $125,000 for 20% (the rest was a loan and she would receive the interest payments) while Barbara's was $250,000 for 25%.

[KaveDweller]

21 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

The robotic cooking system was so much overkill.  Imagine having to keep those cubicles stocked with the right ingredients. Then how do you clean up?  

Maybe some restaurants could use it to cut down on kitchen workers?

All I could think was it looked like someone still had to chop up the various ingredients. If you chop stuff up, that is half the work of cooking some of these dishes. Also, that robot didn't seem to wash any dishes, so you still have to clean up. And I'm not going to trust a robot to use a stove without me being in the room, so what is it really saving me?

10 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

It really bothered me that, once again, Mark was able to derail an offer made by a shark (in this case Kevin) to a presenter (the shower head thing).  Those guys needed a shark IMO as they seemed not quite...focused.  Kevin could have really helped them but, no, Mark didn't like the offers so he basically torched it.  I really don't like it when any of the sharks do this.  If someone else's offer is so offensive to you-then make your own offer.  But, when they go out and then torpedo any offer made, it just seems kind of arrogant to me.

Yes, that bothered me too. He wasn't even just commenting it was a bad offer he was questioning why they would consider the offer. If he is out, why does he care?

I felt like the products this week were all so ridiculous. A cooking robot, a device to make it easier to shower with your partner, edible candles? These seem like ridiculous luxuries. I can't really speak to whether the breastfeeding fan is needed or not.

I actually liked the couple with the edible candles, but who really needs chocolate candles? Just make a chocolate cake.

[eel2178]

11 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Really don't have an opinion on the breast feeding cover, but if there is a need for being cool while breast feeding, then I think this will work.

However, all they really did was repurpose someone else's invention. I can see them getting a Cease & Desist letter from the company holding the patent on the fan now that they have gone on national television advertising that they're reselling it with a curtain attached. They probably could have avoided that if they had just kept it a local side hustle instead of trying to turn it into a big business.

There would also be problems with keeping the battery charged and the weight of carrying it around with you that weren't discussed. They said everyone who sees it wants one; however, how many of those people are satisfied with their purchases after they've used it a few times?

[eel2178]

23 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

When I saw that, I thought it might be useful for a parent washing up a couple of little kids. But it also seemed overly complicated. Couldn’t you just have a splitter with two handheld showerheads, plus an adhesive mounted base for the second one? 

The objective was for you to be able to remain in a "passionate embrace" with whomever you are showering with without one or the other of you having to stand outside the shower stream. Handhelds would negate that ability. I suppose a larger shower head on an extended arm would serve the purpose just as well.

I also wanted to know how you were supposed to mount it if you don't have solid walls at both ends of your bathtub. Not all bathrooms would be designed for it to be used the way they demonstrated.

[Tango64]

After the shower guys refused to answer Barbara’s “What about the pressure?” question twice, just replying that their reviews were good, I was hoping she would dump them flatly.

The kitchen robot was ridiculous. If you buy a lot of ingredients, chop them all uniformly, measure them, load them in the little containers, pay another $40k so you can have refrigerated proteins, then you can have a robot make dinner — but only if you want a curry or stew type meal that just sits in the bowl and simmers. Sure, that’s real progress. 🙄

[silversage]

The shower guys said they liked the aesthetics of their pole but I thought it looked odd. Another issue besides questionable water pressure is the extended side needs the water to travel a bit further. Does it cool down a bit?

Inventors always say positive things about their products. We figure out all the rest 😉

[marny]

So I’m not even sure I understand what the robot chef was doing. It measures a bunch of ingredients and dumps them all in a cooker? What kind of cooker? Is it a pressure cooker? A pot of boiling water? Those are literally the easiest forms of cooking, so those aren’t the cooking methods that need robot replacement (not to mention, who wants a rice bowl for dinner every night?). It’s the ingredient prep (dicing, slicing) that people hate. It’s the multi-step recipes that use a million bowls but taste good that people would prefer to avoid. This machine solves neither of these problems. And like Lori said, what if I want a baked potato? Or a steak? Or lasagna? 

[EtheltoTillie]

I’m so glad you all added all the things I was thinking about the robot cooker but didn’t take the time to write out. It shows this product really hit a chord with people as it did for me. This may be the dumbest product ever on Shark Tank because it’s so expensive and does so little. 

[DEL901]

Regarding the robot cooker, I noticed when it was pouring out ingredients, not all made it into the pan, so it makes a mess too.  

[Madding crowd]

The robo cooker also seemed like the spices would last a long time but the produce and protein would be used up in a couple of dishes and then you would be cleaning, shopping and chopping up again. I don’t see it saving much time and like others have said it only makes stew and rice dishes. I didn’t really get the nursing fan either. I never got hot while breastfeeding and small babies really don’t need fans blowing on them. You can find a way to cover up discreetly without roasting.

As far as the edible candles, if you are already eating cake you probably don’t need extra sweets. I can’t see this making a huge amount of money but people might buy it for the novelty factor.

[eel2178]

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

 I can’t see this making a huge amount of money but people might buy it for the novelty factor.

. . . at the dollar store.

Their candles are $17 for 3 plus $6 shipping from Amazon, so $7.67 per candle. Your investment for a nine year old's birthday party would be $69. If it's a ten year old, that jumps to $92 with 2 leftover candles. You'd also have to limit the number of guests to the number of candles you have available to eat, or there are going to be major arguments.

Incidentally, when you Google "eatable candles," there is a competitor also making chocolate candles, so once again the presenters lied about having an exclusive product. Yum-Wick candles sell at Macy's six candles for $20 or less than half the price of theirs per candle with no shipping required. You can pick them up on the way to the party instead of needing to plan in advance to order them from Amazon and hope your delivery shows up on time without melting in transit.

[eel2178]

5 hours ago, marny said:

 It measures a bunch of ingredients and dumps them all in a cooker? What kind of cooker? Is it a pressure cooker? A pot of boiling water?

He said it was an induction cooker which works with an electromagnetic field heating up magnets in the bottom of the pot (I may have oversimplified that, but it is the limits of my understanding of it). Is that safe for someone with a pacemaker or other implanted electrical generators? (I have 2 such generators, so it is something I need to worry about; I can't even wear a magnetic name tag)

I also have to wonder if the cooker is capable of stirring the ingredients as it cooks when needed to keep the bottom from burning. All that was demonstrated was dump and simmer. 

5 hours ago, marny said:

 And like Lori said, what if I want a baked potato? 

I'm curious how Lori thought she could get a baked potato from a stove top. It doesn't surprise me that the mechanics of stabbing a potato with a fork a few times and throwing it in the oven was beyond Lori's abilities.

[SoMuchTV]

12 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

I'm curious how Lori thought she could get a baked potato from a stove top. It doesn't surprise me that the mechanics of stabbing a potato with a fork a few times and throwing it in the oven was beyond Lori's abilities.

I’m giving Lori the benefit of the doubt here. I took her question as her way of pointing out how the contraption had quite limited uses, cooking-wise. 

Is Lori the same one who told the shower people that the last thing she’d want is to share a shower stall with her husband? Whoever said that, I’m right there with you!

[eel2178]

54 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Is Lori the same one who told the shower people that the last thing she’d want is to share a shower stall with her husband?

It was Barbara.

[eel2178]

On 3/9/2024 at 7:27 AM, seacliffsal said:

Chocolate candles?  I think the novelty will wear off.  I could see this as people buying them once and not necessarily for every celebration.  My friends and I don't even use candles anymore for birthday celebrations (but we certainly have cakes!) and still sing 'Happy Birthday.' 

However, there must be a need for self-extinguishing candles now that Blowzee (the gadget from season 13 that let you blow out your candles without spitting on the cake) has gone belly up. (just kidding)

[eel2178]

16 hours ago, Tango64 said:

pay another $40k so you can have refrigerated proteins

I'm unclear as to why the vegetables wouldn't need to be refrigerated as well. Do you have to buy pre-chopped freeze-dried ingredients for it, so all you're doing once a week is loading the boxes?

[EtheltoTillie]

36 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

I'm unclear as to why the vegetables wouldn't need to be refrigerated as well. Do you have to buy pre-chopped freeze-dried ingredients for it, so all you're doing once a week is loading the boxes?

They were not clear on any of this, but they did allude to a subscription food model or something from Instacart.  You still have to chop your own vegetables or buy those packages of prechopped vegetables. 

Re birthday candles:  I have a friend with three boys, now grown, but she still makes birthday cakes for them.  Anyway, she is very thrifty.  Years ago she bought a couple of sets of the large number candles and keeps reusing them every year.  They only burn for about three seconds.  For age 22, I guess she needed two 2s. 

Edited March 10 by EtheltoTillie

[Kiss my mutt]

Shower sex is overrated and if we HAVE to take a shower at the same time, we have two so I wouldn’t be a customer. 
Not sure about the nursing cover and I nursed exclusively for longer than I care to admit. I do remember worrying about overheating when outside so I might check it out.

I liked the candles and would use those though I can see kids fighting over them. 
The chef robot still looks like a lot of work and I don’t like to chop until I’m ready to cook to keep veggies fresher. If I had money to buy the premium version, I’d probably hire a personal chef.

[marny]

14 hours ago, eel2178 said:

He said it was an induction cooker which works with an electromagnetic field heating up magnets in the bottom of the pot (I may have oversimplified that, but it is the limits of my understanding of it). Is that safe for someone with a pacemaker or other implanted electrical generators? (I have 2 such generators, so it is something I need to worry about; I can't even wear a magnetic name tag)

I also have to wonder if the cooker is capable of stirring the ingredients as it cooks when needed to keep the bottom from burning. All that was demonstrated was dump and simmer. 

I'm curious how Lori thought she could get a baked potato from a stove top. It doesn't surprise me that the mechanics of stabbing a potato with a fork a few times and throwing it in the oven was beyond Lori's abilities.

I heard him say it was induction, but induction is just a way of heating— it’s not a style of cooking. Like you said, is the robot going to stir your food if you’re making a stir fry? Or even just so that the ingredients don’t just sit there simmering. If you have to chop ingredients anyway, what dummy can’t just dump them in a pot and walk away? The robot really saves a person virtually nothing. 
And as much as Lori asks very dumb questions most of the time, her baked potato question was meant to point out that people don’t always want a bowl of junk for dinner and that thr robot’s menu is severely limited. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

17 hours ago, eel2178 said:

I'm unclear as to why the vegetables wouldn't need to be refrigerated as well. Do you have to buy pre-chopped freeze-dried ingredients for it, so all you're doing once a week is loading the boxes?

On the top left section of Chefee, it is refrigerated.    However, you still need to clean the leftover chopped and other refrigerated materials out before refilling them.   I can see a lot of effort at cleaning and refilling this device, and wasted food if you have to clean out older products and replace with fresh products. 

I would not be surprised if someone who buys this will have everything delivered, and have someone to empty and refill the little bins for them.     I can't imagine spending many thousands on this device, when I could redo an entire kitchen for the same price.  

Edited March 11 by CrazyInAlabama

[Tango64]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I would not be surprised if someone who buys this will have everything delivered, and have someone to empty and refill the little bins for them.

Right. I think this would only appeal to ultra-rich people who want a fun gadget to show off. They have staff buy the ingredients, prep and stock them, just so they can take their tennis buddy to the kitchen and say, "Want my robot to make us lunch?"

It doesn't provide any savings in time or effort and it costs a fortune. Just a toy.

[potatoradio]

On 3/10/2024 at 3:00 PM, eel2178 said:

All that was demonstrated was dump and simmer. 

ROTFL at this description - hey, rich morons! For a mere 80K, you, too, can experience meal time like a dog. Just dump and eat. The bowls even look like doggie bowls! 

Also thought Kevin was spot on with his persistent question about who in heck was going to fix the stupid thing if and when something broke? Fixing things is not the American way anymore. Ever tried to find someone to just fix a kitchen appliance? Ha! Easier to just buy new and maybe upgrade this time! He still made the deal though, so I guess he's one of those who would just buy a new Chefee if his broke. 

P.S. I detest cutesy names and this kept making me think of "Trippy" or "Tripee" or whatever that dumb app was that would show you where food was in an airport in case you couldn't read a directory or walk a little ways to see if you could find your oh so important burrito. "Chefee" just sounds so dumb and not like a cool tech toy at all. I just irrationally hated this so much.

It's going to take exactly one Donnatella Arpaia- like child to eat the wick on the chocolate candle for a lawsuit to happen. They should prepare now by including pages of instructions for parents to remove the wick before serving the candle. One does have to think about such things today...