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‘Shark Tank’: Brumachen showed the door for $1 million deal, fans say ‘shoulda brought the grandma influencer’

What do you call a sad cup of coffee? A depresso! Kweku Larbi and Ross Smith — the Brumachen dream team — might have to brew one for themselves

What do you call a sad cup of coffee? A depresso! Seems like Kweku Larbi and Ross Smith — the Brumachen dream team — might have to brew one for themselves as the Sharks gave a clear thumbs down to their product. 

Dubbing itself as “world's first portable brewer and eco-friendly coffee pods”, the Brumachen Bottle is an innovative way to carry coffee and make coffee at the same time! An unlikely pair, Kweku is a math wiz and Ross is a social media sensation with over 15 million followers on TikTok who creates quirky videos with his 94-year-old grandmother. 

No sooner did Kweku start to narrate his story, Daniel Lubetzky asked him “are you from Ghana?” and then his story on “how he went from Ghana to Indiana”. Interestingly, Daniel guessed it because people in Ghana name their children based on the days they were born on and Kwaku (Kweku, Kuuku, Korku, Kɔku, Kouakou) is an Akan name given to male children born on Wednesday from the Akan and Ewe ethnic group. 

Kweku was quick to dish out details of his interesting journey. "I chased a career in civil engineering and kissed goodbye to my parents to come to America with just $2000 in my pocket." When asked what is the price of Brumachen, he said it was $120 which cost him $38 to make. The only thing that irked all the Sharks was the huge investment he was asking for. 

Kweku and Ross came seeking a $1 million investment for a 10% stake. Mark Cuban was the first one to opt out, saying, "You haven't really shown us if it's worth $10 million." Robert Herjavec followed next saying it had a "horrible design". 

Daniel, who was quite intrigued by the guy, also said no. "I love you guys but you made it impossible for us," and Lori Greiner went down the same path. A little harsh in his ways, Kevin O'Leary called their deal "obscene". He blasted at their "greed" saying, "I got a million bucks, you are not getting any."

Kweku was almost in tears after everyone said no. Towards the end, he said, "I do believe in it. They have lost a big deal and they will know in the years to come." 

After the pitch, Sharks tweeted what they thought about it. "I AM a magician, but that's not how I knew he was born on a Wednesday. I love learning about new languages and cultures. When I was in law school, My RA Kwaku taught me about this beautiful naming tradition the Ashanti people of Ghana follow," Daniel tweeted, adding, "Kweku made a brave move into a new world. Very impressed by his drive to pursue his dreams."

"I love the idea, but I do have to agree with my fellow Sharks. A 10 million dollar valuation is way too high without concrete sales," Barbara Corcoran went on to say.

Some fans, however, did believe in the brand. One said, "I think Brümachen is the best invention/pitch this season so far," and another posted, "Brumachen, cool idea, great margins, but low sales." A third wrote, "#sharktank did they say $1m for 10% equity? For a 2 cup coffee maker? I learned something - one partner’s name is reflective o what day of the week he was born."

Others, however, slammed the influencer guy. "This cocky guy thinks he can push this product. It hadn’t made any money. It’s ridiculous," one tweet read and another said, "I find it douchey when someone refers to themself as an 'influencer'." A third said, "Shoulda brought the grandma instead of thE grandson 'influencer'." The fan was making a reference to Ross Smith's 94-year-old granny Pauline Kana who makes funny videos with him.

Many others blasted at the horrible design, saying, "I don't like the BRUMACHEN design either. Go back to the drawing board — because the idea itself is good!" Another posted, "Great idea, but people want it to look good too. He should hire a product designer and re-design the product, while still maintaining the functionality." The user also added, "The social media guy's involvement was unnecessary if he hadn't already promoted it and driven sales. Just saying, 'I can get this many impressions'. That doesn't mean you will. The proof is in the pudding."

‘Shark Tank’ Season 12 Episode 9 returned to ABC after the winter break on January 8, 2021, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring Daniel Lubetzky on January 22, 2021, at 8 pm ET/ 7 pm CT on ABC.