Probiotic Maker on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who is the founder and how you can make probiotic yogurt at home?
All of us are aware of the many wonderful benefits that the consumption of probiotics has on our gut health and overall physical health. But consuming a probiotic enriched yogurt, or consuming probiotic supplements regularly is a pricey affair, and not everybody can afford it. But that doesn't mean you should forego introducing these gut-friendly foods into your diet.
Merrick Maxfield, a father of eight probiotic-yogurt-loving kids, came up with a perfect solution that will not only help you set your very own probiotic yogurt at home but also won't burn a huge hole in your pocket. Read on to know more about Merrick's innovative invention- Probiotic Maker which he will soon be pitching on 'Shark Tank'.
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What is a Probiotic Maker?
Probiotic Maker is an innovative device that turns milk into probiotic yogurt right inside the milk jug. Traditionally probiotic yogurt is made by adding probiotics cultures to milk and heating it between 100 and 115 degrees until the milk thickens. While we do get yummy yogurt through this method, unfortunately, due to the high temperature involved during the process ends up killing the beneficial mesophilic culture. Later, when this yogurt is left in the refrigerator to set, it further ends up killing the thermophilic cultures, leaving you with only one or two types of probiotic cultures in your yogurt.
So, the ideal temperature to get the benefits of both mesophilic and thermophilic cultures is our normal body temperature i.e., 98.5 degrees. Merrick decided to try heating the milk in the jug at 98.5 degrees and set it to make yogurt, and it worked. This gave birth to Probiotic Maker. This device looks like a heating pad, that can be wrapped around a milk container (can be used on any brand of milk and even plant-based milk) for 8-9 hours to heat it. After heating it for a couple of hours, the yogurt can be shifted to the fridge to cool it down, and soon your probiotic-rich yogurt is ready for consumption.
Here is the step-by-step guide to making your own probiotic curd at home using the nifty Probiotic Maker, and have no dirty dishes to wash:
1. Start: Add Starter Pack with 11 Types of Probiotic "Seeds"
2. Culture: Slide on the Maker & Plug it in Overnight (from 8+hrs)
3. Enjoy: Cool, Flavor as Desired, & Enjoy!
Who is the founder?
Merrick Maxfield is the founder of Probiotic Maker. Merrick and his family of eight children and wife are a yogurt-loving family. But this habit of consuming store-bought yogurt was turning out to be a very uneconomical option. Considering 4 cases of yogurt lasted for less than 2 days at his home, he began looking for a more economical way of indulging his family's love for yogurt.
So, they ended up investing in four yogurt makers. The long preparation time, and the endless utensils that eventually ended up in the sink for wash, deterred them from using the yogurt maker. Also since the traditional yogurt makers made yogurt at 'lethal-fever temperatures' it ended up killing a lot of probiotics. So Merrick thought to himself, "If you want probiotics to thrive at body temperature then why not grow them at body temperature." This gave birth to ProBiotic Maker.
"Finally after months and months of development and 27 generations of prototypes, the perfect inspired design and manufacturing process was ready. The Probiotic Maker™ was born," the brand's website reveals. Once the Maxfield family shifted to consuming the probiotic curd, they slowly began noticing some huge changes in their family's health and overall wellbeing. Their kids' fell sick less often, and slept better. Merrick claimed to have lost a whopping 24 pounds between June 2 to January 5, without any diet or exercise, ever since he began regularly having the probiotic curd he made at home using the Probiotic Maker. This encouraged him to start selling his amazing innovation so that others too can benefit from adding probiotic yogurt to their daily diet.
What is the cost and where to buy the Probiotic Maker from?
A 120-volt Probiotic Maker device with two starters retails for $97. The refill pack of three starters costs $10, and the six starters refill pack costs $19. You can purchase the Probiotic Maker from the brand's website here.
Where is Probiotic Maker now?
According to the brand's website, they sold 7.392 units of Probiotic Makers. The website is filled with glowing reviews of the product from satisfied customers. A customer wrote, "Beyond thrilled with this amazing product! It is so incredibly easy to use and I love that it is an eco-friendly product as well. It is small and can be easily stored when not in use. Making delicious healthy probiotics for my family is so easy and heading into cold and flu season I am happy to have probiotics on hand easily! Thank you!"
Who will steal the deal?
Robert Herjavec might steal the deal. Although 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 12 airs every Friday at 8/7c only on ABC.
