PrepDeck on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who is the founder and how to cook mess-free meals
While cooking can be a relaxing and therapeutic activity to indulge in at the end of a long and tiring day, the cleaning up of mess left behind is anything but relaxing. Dreading the daunting task of cleaning up the counter-tops, dishes, and even the prepping of food, many people trade in the comfort of home-cooked meal for the convenience of ordering in or dining out, and avoid the clean up and prep work that comes along with cooking food at home.
Alexander Eburne was so frustrated by the cleaning up process after finishing up cooking, that he began looking for solutions. Upon discovering that there was no such magic tool or appliance to ease up the cleaning and prepping process, he set out to create one, and this led to the birth of PrepDeck, an all-in-one meal prepping solution that not only helps you prep you meals in advance but also significantly cut down on the hassle of cleaning up, thus once again making cooking a relaxing and fun activity. Eburne will be appearing on the upcoming episode of 'Shark Tank' and pitching his nifty innovation to the everyday problem before the Sharks- Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran and Guest Shark Daniel Lubetzky. While we will have to wait to see if any of the Sharks are ready to take a bite of his pitch, in the meanwhile, you can learn all about PrepDeck and its founder here.
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What is PrepDeck?
Picture this, you're in the middle of cooking a meal but you are unable to find an ingredient in your pantry. So, you go looking for it, in the meanwhile the food is burning or boiling over and creating a huge mess. Sadly, this is the harsh reality for many home-cooks, but with PrepDeck you can kiss goodbye to all these kitchen nightmares. PrepDeck is a patented compact meal prepping solution. Inspired by the French concept of 'mise en place' which translates to everything in its place, PrepDeck is basically a storage solution board that helps you to store your ingredients and kitchen tools in one place. It also unfolds to become a cutting board, and inside it has all the containers, lids, and kitchen tools you'd need for all your meal prepping.
The brand's website states, "Say goodbye to disorganized, messy, stressful cooking! Prepdeck brings chef-approved mise en place techniques to the home cook so you can prep ahead, stay organized and enjoy a stress-free cooking environment." Some of the cool features of PrepDeck include:
BPA Free
Dishwasher safe
Microwaveable
Anti-bacterial
Stain resistant
Shatter resistant
Odo resistant
Glass-like clarity
Who is the founder?
Alexander Eburne is the founder of PrepDeck. Prior to founding his meal-prepping solution business, Eburne was the CEO of EcoSmart Fire, a brand that created eco-friendly fireplaces and fire pits. Aside from being a CEO, Eburne was also a passionate home-cook. While he handles the cooking, his wife was responsible for the cleanup. Things were going pretty smoothly, until the couple welcomed their first daughter, and his wife decided to stay away from the kitchen. Suddenly Eburne found himself responsible for not just cooking but also cleaning up afterward.
The previously fun and relaxing activity of cooking became a feverish nightmare for Eburne. On the brand's website he explains, "Left to plan, prep, cook and clean on my own, I grew frustrated. The counters were strewn with ingredients, bowls, jugs, measuring cups and spoons and I could never find the right tool when I needed it. I struggled with prepping and timing and as a result, things would be get burned or overcooked. Then there was the worst part...the clean up. I'd had enough. I knew there had to be a better way." His quest for finding the "better way" led him to sumble upon the French principle of Mise en place, while it helped him it still wasn't the solution he was looking for. Eburne was looking for something that could not only help him stay organized in the kitchen but also make the clean-up process a breeze. Sadly, that solution didn't exist, so he set out to create one himself. This led to the invention of PrepDeck.
He shared, "After a year of hard work and a lot of sleepless nights, I launched Prepdeck on Indiegogo where I was blown away by the response. Clearly I wasn't the only person with this problem! By the end of the campaign, Prepdeck raised way over his initial goal from 5,000 plus backers!" He launched the campaign in 2018 with a $25,000 goal but ended up raising a whopping $859,602. This wild success made him realize that there was a market for PrepDeck, so he quit his job and began working full-time on it. In a very short span of time, Eburne's PrepDeck became a huge success and he was even named Amazon's 2021 Innovator of the Year!
What is the cost and where to buy PrepDeck from?
The basic model of PrepDeck is a sleek and compact unit that can easily fit on a countertop. Its dimensions are 21.4” long x 6.5” wide x 6.3” high, and comes with 45 useful kitchen accessories such as measuring spoons and cups, lemon zester, grater, herb stripper, garlic crusher, etc, and also a detachable, fold out cutting board. PrepDeck can be bought alongside other kitchen accessories separately, or as a bundle pack with pre-selected accessories. The various bundles include: PrepDeck Plus, HeadChef PrerpDeck, and a specially curated Shark Tank Upgrade Kit. The original PrepDeck retails for $149 but the brand is currently running a discount so you can get it for just $99. You can get your very own PrerpDeck from the brand's website here or from Amazon.
The product appears to be a huge hit amongst its customers, as it has an impressive 4.5 star rating from 1,409 customers on Amazon. A review on the e-commerce giant's website reads, "What a great product. We love using our prep deck. Super easy to clean with detachable cutting board/cover. All the little containers double as measuring device as well. Love the additional attachments, peeler, cheese grater, juicer, mandarin. Was able to get rid of some of utensils in my kitchen because of this prep deck. Great purchase."
Where is PrepDeck now?
Since its launch in 2018, PrepDeck has reportedly sold over 150,000 units! The brand has recently launched a new product called 'Cheat Sheets', which it claims to be a revolutionary way of cooking on sheet pans with minimal effort and clean-up. The brand has also tied up with Souper Cubes, which was featured earlier on 'Shark Tank' and bagged a deal with Lori Greiner. It looks like PrerpDeck is doing really well, and we can't wait to see how it fares on 'Shark Tank'.
Who will steal the deal?
Considering PrepDeck's ties with Souper Cubes, we think Lori Greiner might want to steal this deal, but we wouldn't be surprised if Chef Wonderful aka Kevin O'Leary too wants a piece of the action, so don't be surprised if an intense bidding war is launched in the tank. But eventually, the brand's sales numbers and profit margins will ultimately be the major deciding factor for the sharks on whether to invest in the business or not. So, we will just have to wait and watch to see if the Sharks even make a deal.
'Shark Tank' Season 13 Episode 16 airs on ABC on March 18, 2022, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Do Amore, Oot Box, PrepDeck and Sunflow.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.