Highlights
- Tate Koenig pitches The Cheese Chopper, a 3-in-1 tool for slicing, grating, and storing cheese, seeking $75,000 for 10% equity.
- Despite interest in the product, the Sharks express concerns about its early stage and lack of customer feedback.
- As of October 2023, The Cheese Chopper is still in business, with ongoing sales, though reliable revenue figures are unavailable.
Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | The Cheese Chopper |
| Founder | Tate Koenig |
| Industry | Kitchen Gadgets, Food Accessories |
| Product | 3-in-1 Cheese Slicer, Grater, and Storage |
| Funding | Left Shark Tank without a deal |
| Investment Ask | $75,000 |
| Equity Offered | 10% |
| Valuation | $750,000 |
Tate Koenig, aka “Mr. Cheese,” pitches The Cheese Chopper, his tool for slicing, grating and storing cheese, in Shark Tank episode 1215. Koenig loves cheese. Like any cheese lover, he buys and eats a lot of cheese. That gets expensive, but one way to save money is to buy blocks of cheese. The problem is it is hard to get uniform slices, cleaning cheese graters is difficult and potentially dangerous and storing blocks of cheese can result in waste.
That’s why he invented The Cheese Chopper. It’s a 3-in-1 cheese “machine.” You store your block of cheese in the plastic box. When you want some cheese, you pick either the “hard” cheese slicer or “soft” cheese slicer or choose the grating attachment. You slice or grate your cheese right in the plastic box and when you’re done, close it up and put it in the fridge.
Koenig got his business going with a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $100,436 in June 2020 and a successful IndieGoGo campaign that raised $$111,826 in the same month. Like many people trying to start a business during the Covid-19 pandemic, he ran into manufacturing slowdowns. He just started delivering Cheese Choppers in mid February, 2021 – just a few weeks before the original air date of his episode. He likely wants a Shark’s help with the manufacturing side of the business Will a Shark think this is a “grate” investment?
Company Information
Video
Posts about The Cheese Chopper on Shark Tank Blog
Cheese Chopper – 3 in 1 Cheese Gadget
The Cheese Chopper Shark Tank Recap
Tate enters the Shark Tank seeking $75,000 for 10% of his business. He gives his pitch hen the Sharks examine their samples. When he tells them about his Kickstarter, there are concerns.
Did Shark Tank Invest In The Cheese Chopper?
The Sharks unanimously believe he has no true feedback from customers and that he was too early to invest in. Tate leaves without a deal.
The Cheese Chopper Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. As of July, 2021, three months after the initial air date, the product is sold out on the company website. Tate is offering a 10% discount if you pre-order and wait 6-8 weeks for delivery. In September, 2022, Tate appeared in the Tank again to pitch Pizza Pack. This was the first (and hopefully last) live Shark Tank. On that show he said the Cheese Chopper was “doing okay.” He claims he didn’t get a deal because all he had was pre-orders at the time. Some time after appearing, he bought a farm in Oregon where he lives with his girlfriend and daughter. He raises peaches, hazelnuts, goats and pheasants and has a warehouse where he creates inventions. As of October, 2023, the company is still in business. Reliable revenue figures are unavailable at this time.
*** Editor’s Note: I bought this product and used it for a year or so. It does work and if you like cheese, it’s a good buy. I stopped using it when I changed my diet.***
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