Memorable Products: As Seen on Shark Tank

[nobodyyoucare]

I think the show does a lot of research on products before putting them on, and is fully aware of competitors and the Sharks are briefed on that and all other relevant aspects.  And the competitors are often either not mentioned or get a brief, "Yes, we have competitors but our's is unique in that..."  Because that benefits the show.  A show about knock-offs and reboots isn't as appealing as one about genuinely new ideas.  Just my opinion.  

Actually the sharks have no idea who the presenters are beforehand. Unless the presenter tried to contact a shark and the shark remembers then it is a new person to them.

[nobodyyoucare]

I actually think it was actually to generate energy, and the gold was a by-product.  Which is totally less crazy.

The problem is the gold is non metallic meaning the guys plan wouldn't work. You have to extract the gold from the organic compounds and then reconstitute them in metallic form. There have been several honest efforts to do this. Note the word honest most claims about extracting gold from the ocean are scams. These honest methods worked great in the lab and one of the earliest was by a very well known Nobel Prize chemistry winner. Germany thought thought this would solve their problems of debt caused by World War 1 and having to pay for repatriations. Problem of course what can work in a lab under certain conditions doesn't work in the real world when you test it. You made more money selling the salt from the ocean water then you would the gold using these methods that actually do work. As for the manganese that is found in nodules on the ocean floor. These nodules btw are on the ocean floor for a reason. They are heavier then the water and efforts to extract were undertaken since it was highly possible that rare metals would be in with the manganese. Problem is getting the metals separated and refined. So efforts stop and start when new scientific advances are made in fields that are applicable are made. 

 

The thing with the cakes is that most bakers will do the fake cake or foam layers to get a bigger cake already... so having to send away for it and it come in the mail with twinkies jammed in a section of it is just extra work and hassle.

 

Just about any bakery that does wedding cakes likely already does this for their display cakes and I'm sure would have no problem creating a nice looking cake while still serving sheet cakes from the kitchen to save money. This has been happening for a long time already... so that's what makes it such a bad idea as a business.

However bakeries do not advertise such a service. So having a company organize the advertising and contract bakeries could be successful. 

 

I'm a big Food Network watcher and have noticed that crickets seem to be the new"in" thing - cricket candy, snacks, ground up into flour, etc. The last fair I went to even had a food truck selling chocolate covered crickets. I actually considered trying it in flour form, until I found out that people who are allergic to shrimp (like I am) are generally highly allergic to crickets as well. Hopefully there's some kind of warning on the packaging.

A lot of people don't know this but like with Chinese, Mexican has a huge variety. We just tend to see one Americanized strain of the food. In a particular region of Mexico Grasshopper tacos are quite popular. In fact for a while in Mexican immigrant communities food trucks, stands were selling grass hopper tacos till the FDA cracked down on it because the harvested grasshoppers from natural sources ie fields, were found to contain lead.

 

The crickets coming from indoor farms (Lori didn't know that pet stores, bait shops sell crickets?) would of course not contain the lead that the grasshoppers 

 

If you are ever in Texas do some googling there are certain restaurants  that serve insect meals. One Mexican dish is comprised of eggs of a certain ant species. The eggs are described as having an incredible butter flavor but the dish is expensive. This particular ant species has a very nasty bite so harvesting is not easy. 

[cooksdelight]

Actually the sharks have no idea who the presenters are beforehand. Unless the presenter tried to contact a shark and the shark remembers then it is a new person to them.

There is a lady who posted in another thread here about her son trying to get on the show. Daymon was there for his (and others) presentation or audition.

[nobodyyoucare]

There is a lady who posted in another thread here about her son trying to get on the show. Daymon was there for his (and others) presentation or audition.

Odds are he wouldn't have been there for the taping for those that he saw the auditions for. Remember he and Barb rotate. 

 

Also Daymond does do other angel investment events and sees people trying to get investments. 

[KHenry14]

I sent my son (who is away at college) Wicked Good Cupcakes for his birthday. Took a week from order to delivery, and he absolutely loved them. Got him the chocolate birthday cupcakes, and the red velvet. They don't have a huge selection of cupcake types, but they do have specials. They shipping costs are a bit high IMO, but since the product is so good I'm willing to pay that. Oh, and they RAVE about Kevin and how helpful he's been to them.

 

Two thumbs up!

[Guest]

Actually the sharks have no idea who the presenters are beforehand. Unless the presenter tried to contact a shark and the shark remembers then it is a new person to them.

 

I said the show producers or whoever it is that chooses the presenters thoroughly vets the products, not the sharks.  

[nobodyyoucare]

I said the show producers or whoever it is that chooses the presenters thoroughly vets the products, not the sharks.  

Vets them for tv appearance potential. There have been some scams that went up before the sharks. 

[cooksdelight]

I wish they'd give the sharks iPads or something where they could immediately identify competitors in the market, or other information to debunk some of the claims made by presenters.

[zxy556575]

Oh, me. I ordered the sampler pack of sausage, cheddar spread and crackers from Echo Valley. Their meat is super spendy, but I had to try the cheese spread after Cuban raved about it. Cured meat, cheese, and crackers is one of my top three favorite snacks, so I was a goner. Apologies in advance to my cardiologist.

 

We'll see how big of a delay the shipping is, or if they were prepared.

Edited March 14, 2015 by lordonia

[cooksdelight]

Let us know how it tastes, as I am a meat/cheese/cracker consumer.

[mjc570]

Has anyone gotten a Lumio, the folding lamp? I loved it on the show, and even though I don't think it's all that useful, I really want one. I can't decide between the regular or mini.

[zxy556575]

I was wondering what happened to my Echo Valley order and then it showed up today. Either they don't send shipping notice emails or I didn't see mine. So it only took 4 days to arrive.

 

I sampled and everything is tasty. But then, when is cheese spread not good? The summer sausages are nice. I'm no trained taste tester or connoisseur of cured meats, Kevin, but they seem about the same as similar offerings from Hickory Farms or Harry & David.

[marny]

I recently bought the Kodiak Cakes pancake mix from a few seasons ago. My husband and I like to make waffles on the weekends, and figured we'd try out some better mixes than the generic stuff we usually use, so we decided to support a small ST business. To make waffles and pancakes you only have to add water to the mix, which is convenient, and the dough smells really good. We made waffles, but no matter how long we cooked them in the waffle iron, they never got crispy. They were really limp and soggy even when cooked all the way through. I wound up putting mine in the toaster oven after taking them out of the iron, and that helped a little. The flavor of the waffles was good though. In the future, we'll probably only use them for pancakes instead of waffles, but I was disappointed that our usual cheaper mix comes out much better.

[theatremouse]

To make waffles and pancakes you only have to add water to the mix, which is convenient, and the dough smells really good. We made waffles, but no matter how long we cooked them in the waffle iron, they never got crispy. They were really limp and soggy even when cooked all the way through.

This actually doesn't surprise me, since usually mixes, even if they're good for both pancakes and waffles, have you add difference liquid, or at least different proportions of liquid for waffles vs pancakes. So if Koadiak only had you add water either way, especially if it were the same amount, I can see how it'd not be crispy. Pancake batter on waffle iron does not a crispy waffle make. Usually.

[marny]

It wasn't the same proportion of water to mix for waffles and pancakes. I followed the box's instructions for waffles.

[cooksdelight]

Try adding some oil to the water amount required next time for waffles. That should help with the crispiness.

[Saylii]

I wish they'd give the sharks iPads or something where they could immediately identify competitors in the market, or other information to debunk some of the claims made by presenters.

If you watch Lori when they focus on her lap, it looks like her portfolio that she's writing on may have an iPad in it. She's obviously writing on paper, but there's a whole nother section to the portfolio underneath that looks iPad shaped. I wonder if she uses it off camera.

I tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough from the Cookie Dough cafe last week. It was really good, but the chocolate chips are almost too crunchy when the dough is cold. It made it hard to eat. They advertise a "naked" flavor on their website as a flavor, but it's not in my local store and it's not orderable. I'd only get it again in he naked flavor.

[nottopbravo]

If I remember correctly, on the first season there was item called "bacon alarm clock".  Although all the Sharks passed (and laughed) at it, I found this item:

 

"Wake Up and Smell the Bacon

Talk about breakfast in bed!  The Oscar Meyer Institute for the Advancement of Bacon (yes, that's a real thing) recently introduced an alarm clock that wakes you with the smell and sizzle of bacon.  The alarm is a free downloadable app, and a few lucky contest winners got a limited-edition iPhone attachment that emits the scent of bacon-y goodness.  Let's not tell Maxwell about this one."

[NikSac]

If I remember correctly, on the first season there was item called "bacon alarm clock".  Although all the Sharks passed (and laughed) at it, I found this item:

 

"Wake Up and Smell the Bacon

Talk about breakfast in bed!  The Oscar Meyer Institute for the Advancement of Bacon (yes, that's a real thing) recently introduced an alarm clock that wakes you with the smell and sizzle of bacon.  The alarm is a free downloadable app, and a few lucky contest winners got a limited-edition iPhone attachment that emits the scent of bacon-y goodness.  Let's not tell Maxwell about this one."

 

Oddly I saw this for sale at the County Fair last year... thought it was gross then, still do, but maybe it had more merit to it than I thought.

Edited March 30, 2015 by NikSac

[cooksdelight]

I entered the contest to win that thing, too! :)

[marny]

Does that Oscar Meyer thing actually make bacon or just emit the smell and sound? Because I think the ST pitch was a clock that actually cooked bacon. And I can only imagine trying to groggily shut off the alarm and accidentally burning myself.

[cooksdelight]

OM gadget just emitted the smell of bacon when the alarm goes off. I guess you need to periodically order new smelly-things to keep it working. How the heck does something attached to your alarm cook bacon? The meat can't be unrefrigerated or sitting out in a pan all night.

[Guest]

I was curious so I googled it.  

https://mattysallin.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/wake-n-bacon/

 

 

[yeswedo]

This may be the inspiration for Wake-n-bacon

 

[NikSac]

I was curious so I googled it.  

https://mattysallin.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/wake-n-bacon/

 

Thanks for the info!  Huh...so... maybe you can just throw some jerky in the thing too? I can't imagine leaving frozen bacon in there overnight, and even the "precooked" bacon seems a little scary, but I can see totally dried out stuff like jerky. I dunno, I like bacon and all, but I don't usually pop out of bed with tongs in my hands thinking "yay bacon!"  I'm way more inclined to eat breakfast at about 10:00 if I have the option, but interesting concept.

[cooksdelight]

They lost me at pre-cooked bacon. That stuff is nasty compared to the real thing. I'll drag myself to the kitchen and make it myself, after the smell thing prompts me to do so. I do not need bacon at my bedside.

[jackjill89]

If you watch Lori when they focus on her lap, it looks like her portfolio that she's writing on may have an iPad in it. She's obviously writing on paper, but there's a whole nother section to the portfolio underneath that looks iPad shaped. I wonder if she uses it off camera.

I tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough from the Cookie Dough cafe last week. It was really good, but the chocolate chips are almost too crunchy when the dough is cold. It made it hard to eat. They advertise a "naked" flavor on their website as a flavor, but it's not in my local store and it's not orderable. I'd only get it again in he naked flavor.

I tried the Naked flavor and mixed in my own chips. Delish! No problem with super hard chips.

[bilgistic]

Another Shark Tank product in the news in the Carolinas. I'd forgotten about the vegan cinnamon rolls. And now I want some--I will be able to soon. Damn you to hell, diet!

 

I'd have posted this in the "media" section, but it's pretty dead in there.

[bilgistic]

More Shark Tank news from NC--Cousins Maine Lobster food truck is making a stop in the Triangle (Raleigh area).

[Janet Snakehole]

So I bought the balm chicky balm balm today, completely not for the reason that it was featured on Shark Tank. I actually completely forget it was on until I got home and saw the bottom part. I am a total lip balm addict, and a sucker for new products. It was advertised as being twice the size of a normal lip balm at Target (I would say it is) and came in flavors/scents I hadn't seen before and was 7 bucks. I have spent way more than 7 bucks on balm before because as I said, I am a sucker. Anyway, it was pretty good! It smells nice and is not really flavored, so I am not likely to lick it off. It also does a good job moisturizing, it doesn't just sit on my lips like a lot of products do. If I were them, I would get rid of the bottom part and continue to advertise it just as a normal natural balm that is a bigger size. It just does not seem necessary, I only share lip balm with fiancé, and I don't see a lot of people who do in general.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Janet Snakehole

[NikSac]

So I bought the balm chicky balm balm today, completely not for the reason that it was featured on Shark Tank. I actually completely forget it was on until I got home and saw the bottom part. I am a total lip balm addict, and a sucker for new products. It was advertised as being twice the size of a normal lip balm at Target (I would say it is) and came in flavors/scents I hadn't seen before and was 7 bucks. I have spent way more than 7 bucks on balm before because as I said, I am a sucker. Anyway, it was pretty good! It smells nice and is not really flavored, so I am not likely to lick it off. It also does a good job moisturizing, it doesn't just sit on my lips like a lot of products do. If I were them, I would get rid of the bottom part and continue to advertise it just as a normal natural balm that is a bigger size. It just does not seem necessary, I only share lip balm with fiancé, and I don't see a lot of people who do in general.

 

But then they couldn't say "friend end" 50 times during their presentation. Glad to know it's a good lip balm though. I like seeing people succeed on this show.

[TomServo]

I think this is the place where I'm supposed to admit that I already had squatty potties in every bathroom of my house before they went on Shark Tank.  (They were having some kind of BOGO special, if I remember correctly, and someone in my house who is not me can not turn down a bargain like that)

 

Doctors tell pregnant women to use a footrest when they use the bathroom, but it's difficult to find one that is the correct height to perform the job well.  Plus, it can double as an aid for kids whose legs aren't quite long enough to easily get up onto the toilet.  It's also popular within the paleo/primal diet-enthusiast community and with immigrants who come from countries where the bathroom facilities are designed for squatting.

 

(You don't realize how many times a day you use words that could be bathroom puns until you try to write a post that doesn't contain any words like pass, refuse, stool, do/doo...)

[silverspoons]

My Mom loves shark tank and is the type to run out and buy the products. She LOVES those scrub daddy products. My mom is the type to give practical shower and wedding gifts, and her latest is to include a bundle of kitchen gadgets. She bought out all the scrub daddy products in our area and the retailers were having a hard time getting them in. My mom called scrub daddy and they were so nice to her. They not only were able to get more products to her but sent her a free gift pack with a tee shirt and products. She was so happy.

 

As for squatty potty I noticed they opened a new "real" office in my city. The used to be a in a small town called Leeds. I was actually proud of them for staying in their small town because it has virtually no jobs or retail. A few weeks ago I noticed they moved about 30 miles south into a new complex. Not sure what this does for the company since it is not a manufacturing or retail site, just an office. They could have kept their offices in the small town. I guess I am one who loves the small town business that stays to help their community.

[Lola16]

Did they ever do a recap on the nasal strips?

 

 

After a rocky start to his pitch, the Sharks are shocked to find that the inventor of the First Defense Nasal Screeners is actually quite the prepared business man.

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[cooksdelight]

Wasn't this a product on the show, a married couple pitched it, I think?? Did anyone make a deal? This is a really cheap price for the thing.

http://www.bradsdeals.com/deals/fabric-trash-can-cover-50-zip-ties-8-p211997

[designing1]

It's essentially the same, except for how it's being marketed. This product is described as being used to keep trash can lids on so the the wind and rodents can't remove them. I thought that's what those snap-up handles on the sides of trash cans were for, plus I can't imagine the trash removal folks taking off two covers to dump the trash -- or homeowners doing the same just to deposit trash in the can. The Shark Tank couple described them as covers to use when your original cover has disappeared or been broken. Honestly, $8 sounds about right for a circle of fabric, some elastic, and a pack of zip ties.

[Lola16]

My grandma always was losing the lids from her trash cans.  (She lived on top of a hill).   I cannot see the garbage men cutting off the zip tie (at one or both ends), emptying the can and placing it back (if they cut both zip ties).  I could see them ripping at it with their hands and tearing where it was fastened.  Maybe you only fasten one end?   I dunno.  I don't have a trash can set up where I live.

[cooksdelight]

I have one of the big square cans on wheels that's supplied by the trash pick-up company. If a raccoon can lift that lid, more power to him.

[yeswedo]

Remember the fancy / bedazzled shirts for sports fans? I think Mark invested in it. This is not a follow up to them but something that made me think of that product.

 

This is a 'kickstopper' video by the founder of stripedshirt which is a different take on fan shirts. Instead of bedazzling the shirts they are horizontal stripes in team colors. She's been in business 5 years and is hanging it up. I read a post about her in HBR and they linked to the video. It's pretty funny and an interesting take on what probably happens to a lot of entrepreneurs.

 

Her advice to future entrepreneurs interested in apparel was 'don't do it'. If I can find the HBR link I'll add it.

 

[cooksdelight]

I have a Freaker. I love it!

[retrograde]

I remember people here being pretty skeptical about Plated last season, the service where they deliver the ingredients and recipe for individual meals to your house, but apparently the industry is booming. I have noticed that many people in my building seem to get regular deliveries from Blue Apron, one of the competitors. 

[starri]

 

As a millennial, I came of age in the era of the farmer’s market, so I have a deep appreciation for a nice locally sourced carrot or a slightly imperfect organic pear

I can't with this.

[zxy556575]

Ha! I may have rolled my eyes at a couple of her millennial remarks but thought the article was interesting overall. Do that many young people really not know how to cook these days? I'm not sure about the hand-wringing over "assembling" food vs cooking it, but I'd never considered that family recipes and ethnic specialties are no longer being passed down.

 

She did lose me over her dismay about spice packets perhaps being "processed food," but then, I'm the type of cook who sometimes uses powered cheese in casseroles because I think it bakes better.

 

And the type who makes casseroles. :)

Edited June 16, 2015 by lordonia

[NikSac]

I remember people here being pretty skeptical about Plated last season, the service where they deliver the ingredients and recipe for individual meals to your house, but apparently the industry is booming. I have noticed that many people in my building seem to get regular deliveries from Blue Apron, one of the competitors. 

 

Yeah I've noticed it's gotten kind of big around here too. Even the grocery stores are doing it, and come to think of it I think McCormick's been doing it for awhile except it was just the spices and you had to go buy the other stuff, which was conveniently listed on the back of the package. I saw an Amazon thing the other day that looked like they're trying to break into the market, too. I think it may be very tough for a small company to keep up.

[bilgistic]

I need someone to come over and cook the fancy food for me. I HATE cooking. The "morning drivetime" radio personalities pitch Blue Apron and talk about how it takes only a half-hour and it's so great, and I just think, "It takes me only half a minute to pour a bowl of cereal."

[retrograde]

Honestly I would probably try Blue Apron if not for a few special snowflake reasons (I'm a vegetarian and my partner is not; and I like to eat huge servings of vegetables or salad with my meals and I don't think the servings would be enough).

[cooksdelight]

As someone who's been cooking since the age of 8, their offerings are not for me. I buy local ingredients, including Brasstown Beef (look them up, they're awesome) and grow a lot of my own vegetables. What I can't grow, I get from the local farmers. I'm clearly not their target market.

[zxy556575]

Here's what I'm the target market for: fully prepared meals delivered. I used to be -- no exaggeration because they told me -- the biggest customer Casserole Queens had. I moved out of Austin and they discontinued home delivery, but it was nice while it lasted. I supplemented them with Chinese food and pizza deliveries. ;)

[cooksdelight]

Has this guy ever been on the show? He should. With his dog. Which Robert will want to hold, until he finds out why the dog is there and what he's about to do.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aZR4PMSyQuk

[NikSac]

Has this guy ever been on the show? He should. With his dog. Which Robert will want to hold, until he finds out why the dog is there and what he's about to do.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aZR4PMSyQuk

 

That looks way, way too complicated for picking up poo in my opinion, plus I know my dog well enough to know he'd try to take off running the second I stuck a bag under his butt. I can picture myself wrestling with the dog, the leash, and the Catchapoo plus any other distractions - all illuminated by the handy built in flashlight of course.  The result would be extreme embarrassment (probably for both me and the dog!), him flinging poo everywhere and making an even larger mess to clean up, and me doing some sort of maneuvers to avoid the flung poo while  cleaning up and holding into his leash.  It'd be fun for the neighbors, I suppose. I definitely agree this guy would be entertaining on the show, though. I'd love to see the looks on the Sharks' faces.

 

(edited for typos)

Edited June 24, 2015 by NikSac