Kwyzta Chopstick Art – Shark Tank Season 1, Episode 3
BEFORE SHARK TANK
Entrepreneur Brian Parks from Eugene, Oregon has come up with an idea to make products out of chopsticks, and believes that his business is doing its part to save the world. He states that living in Eugene makes him stay true to his goals and being a true environmental company, because of the fact that many people and things are green in Eugene. He says that Eugene is known to be a hippy place, where everyone is looking out to protect the nature.
Brian Parks came up with the idea to make products out of chopsticks, when he was living in China, about six years ago. He became aware of a valuable resource, just going to waste. Brian states that green products are hot and his products are a hundred percent recycled. He claims that the Sharks will be happy investing in his company, because of the fact that they will make a lot of money but also will have a very positive impact on the environment.
ON SHARK TANK
“Brian Parks walks confidently and stands in front of the Sharks”
He starts by saying that he is asking for a hundred thousand dollars, for a ten percent stake in his company. Brian starts his presentation by showing a set of chopsticks and explains what they are, and what they are used for. He states that chopsticks get tossed out after usage, which is a huge waste in his opinion. Brian talks about when he was living in China, six years ago and one afternoon he was eating lunch with his friend, using chopsticks of course. While they were eating lunch, Brian and his friend tried to guess how many of those chopsticks get thrown out each year.
After they had done some research, they found out that the number of chopsticks that get thrown out was about twenty-five billion pairs, every single year. They are going straight to the dump and nobody was taking advantage of this free and valuable resource. At the time, Brian thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to apply his passion for the environment and feed his entrepreneurial spirit. At that exact moment, he decided to create Chopstick Art, which are basically products, made out of recycled chopsticks.
“Brian reveals some of his creations to the Sharks”
“Barbara Corcoran responds with a big smile on her face”
Kevin O’Leary starts by asking if all of those chopsticks have been in someone else’s mouth, to which Brian responds to by saying that it is correct, but every single one of the chopsticks have been cleaned and sanitized, and as far as he knows, nobody is going to lick his lamps or wine racks.
“Robert Herjavec starts laughing out loud”
Brian starts talking about his bestselling creation, which is a basket. He claims that they keep fruit very fresh because of good air circulation. Barbara Corcoran has a surprised look on her face and asks what each of Brian’s chopstick creations sells for. Brian responds by saying that the articles start at seven dollars, twelve dollars, twenty-two dollars and thirty dollars; pointing at different articles while saying that.
Kevin O’Leary asks if the basket that Brian is holding is going for thirty dollars, to which Brian responds with “yes, but there is more”. He shows that the baskets can be folded up and stacked on top of each other if need be. Robert Herjavec says that that is pretty cool.
“Kevin Harrington has a smile on his face and agrees with Robert Herjavec”
Robert Herjavec asks Brian if he can see the basket, and Brian passes on a basket to Robert. Kevin Harrington asks what the article at the end of the table is and Brian states that it is a necklace, but he didn’t wear it because it didn’t go well with his orange shirt.
“Kevin Harrington laughs out loud”
Robert Herjavec asks Brian how many of his products he has sold his products till this date, to which Brian responds with by saying since he started five years ago, he has done about half a million in sales and it wasn’t until he made the folding baskets, that he started making some real profit. Brian netted about forty-five thousand dollars over five years. Robert Herjavec asks Brian that he must have put a lot of his own money into his articles and Brian says that of course he did. Robert Herjavec asks how much money he has put in his company and Brian says that he has put in about a hundred thousand dollars
“Barbara Corcoran looks very shocked”
Robert Herjavec asks where he got that kind of money and Brian jokingly says from his good friends Visa and other credit card companies. Kevin O’Leary states that Brian is asking for a hundred thousand dollars for a ten percent stake in his company, and multiply that by ten, he says that Brian think his company is worth a million dollars. Brian hesitates and states that he does believe that. Brian states that the amount of sales he has been doing, about three hundred thousand dollars with little to no advertising and marketing.
“Barbara Corcoran has a sarcastic smile on her face”
Robert Herjavec asks Brian, why he should invest a hundred thousand dollars in Brian’s company, how he would get his money back. Brian states that the sharks already know it, that this is not an investment where they will be adding millions of dollars to their portfolios. However it is a save investment that they could feel good about.
Kevin Harrington says that he looks at a lot of products and that Brian’s articles are not a “gotta-have” products but a “nice-to-have” products. He says he is out. Robert Herjavec agrees with Kevin Harrington, states that it is a small business and that he is out.
“Brian is shocked by this point and has a sad facial expression”
Kevin O’Leary states that it only makes forty-five thousand dollars as a company, and he is out as well. Daymond John states that he likes the product, but it is not big enough for him, so he is out as well. Barbara Corcoran states that Brian has no business being at Shark Tank and that she is out as well.
Brian is very sad about this, tells the sharks to have good luck making billions of dollars and says goodbye. The sharks speak afterwards, saying that Brian is a nice guy but his company is simply not big enough for them to be interested in it. At the end, Brian gives an interview, stating that he is pretty bummed out and he imagined that the sharks would see more value in his products.
WHERE IS KWYZTA AFTER SHARK TANK IN 2024
Brian was really struggling with his company’s finances. He had put in a hundred thousand dollars of his own money and only netted about forty-five thousand dollars over the course of five years. The product that brings in most of his profit is the Chopstick Basket. There is no mention of Brian’s products being the best or worst on Shark Tank, only that his company is too small for any of the sharks to be interested in.
You can check out and purchase any of Brian’s products by going to his website http://www.chopstickart.com/. You can even purchase his products in wholesale, if you are interested in that. Chopstick Art has its own Facebook page with several reviews on it. At this point, his products are rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, which means that a lot of people like his products. The reviews are mostly positive, stating that they really love the Chopstick Baskets and the idea to make products out of chopsticks.
Chopstick Art did not necessary fail or succeed as a business. Yes, at this moment it is struggling with finances and the sharks at Shark Tank did not bite, but that doesn’t mean that Brian’s products aren’t selling. Given enough time and advertisement, his products can become very popular, especially amount environmentalists.
Chopstick Art has a total of nine products for sale at in 2024. Products range from Large Folding Baskets to Large Hand Bags, all made out of recycled chopsticks. After placing a product in your cart, you will even be able to specify a color for your products to be. The price for Chopstick Art products range from $8,50 for a Flat Soap Dish and goes up till $112 for Four Large Folding Baskets.
Bridget Rogers is an independent freelance writer based out of Madison, Wisconsin. Bridget's work can be found on a variety of sources in both online and print media.
