Whatever Happened To Peanut Butter Pump From Shark Tank Season 11?
Rather than letting the loss of his job get him down, inventor Andrew Scherer told the Sharks during season 11 of ABC's "Shark Tank" that instead, he got hungry (via Shark Tank Global). Capitalizing on America's love of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Scherer explained that he developed the Peanut Butter Pump. Much like a lotion dispenser, the gadget allows users to pump every last glob of peanut butter out of the jar, making for easy, mess-free sandwich-making. Scherer was confident his product was a game-changer, and asked for an investment of $200,000 in exchange for a 15% stake in the company.
The Sharks were impressed right from the get-go. As a self-proclaimed peanut butter connoisseur, Kevin O'Leary followed the entrepreneur's pitch with a series of questions regarding how the device would influence peanut butter's chunk and crunch, and whether the pump would be too clunky to fit in the refrigerator — a question that prompted a lively debate between the Sharks regarding whether peanut butter belongs in the fridge in the first place (although some experts say you should think twice before putting peanut butter in the pantry, too). The panel's initial interest began to wane, however, the moment it became clear the product was only a prototype. But was the idea promising enough for the Sharks to take a chance?
How the Peanut Butter Pump performed on Shark Tank
With the exception of preorders, the Peanut Butter Pump had no sales to speak of. The Sharks also weren't entirely sold on the price, with Scherer pricing the product at $27, which the Sharks felt was too steep (via Shark Tank Global). Yet another red flag surfaced when Scherer confessed that the initial promised delivery date to customers had come and gone. Speaking for peanut butter-lovers everywhere, O'Leary felt that because the pump functioned exclusively for processed peanut butter products, Scherer was excluding those who refrigerate their natural peanut butter. Ultimately, the Sharks felt that the Peanut Butter Pump was an answer to a non-existent problem. Although Scherer left the show with no investment money, he remained confident that somebody, somewhere would take the bait.
To date, Scherer's invention has raised $166,201 in funds through the product's Indiegogo campaign. With the first update to backers posted more than five years ago, it's been a long haul bringing the Peanut Butter Pump to fruition. While Scherer reports that progress has been made, it appears the device is still a ways away from the finish line.
Where the Peanut Butter Pump is today
Sold through The Nutty Inventor website, the Peanut Butter Pump is currently listed as sold out, with an outdated projected shipping date of March 15, 2020. The product's Instagram account also seems to have been abandoned, with its last post made to the grid in 2019. Scherer's Indiegogo campaign seems to offer the most updated information. The latest update to backers was posted on May 4, 2024, where the entrepreneur explained that factory production had been stalled due to a lack of funds.
It also appears that the design concept behind the Peanut Butter Pump has changed considerably over the years. What was once an attachable pump has now evolved to resemble the kind of boxy apparatus you might see at the condiment pumping station of a fast-food restaurant. While it seems as if the original design is still in the works, the new extrusion pump would require users to routinely purchase squeezable peanut butter pouches to be hooked up inside the machine. In an update posted in late 2023, Scherer addressed what different peanut butter brands would be offered and whether this would require a customer subscription.
While Scherer has remained steadfast in his commitment to the Peanut Butter Pump, whether daily peanut butter-lovers will eventually have the peanut butter apparatus of their dreams remains to be seen.