Where Is One Earth Designs From Shark Tank Today?
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What if there was a way to bypass buying charcoal every week and even free your mind from trying to remember the 14 gas grill hacks that will make all your outdoor cooking ventures easier? While food cooked on an open flame is nothing short of delicious, gas and charcoal grills have their downsides, not only concerning the cooking process but also the air we breathe. If the environment is important to you, you were probably psyched to see a solar-powered grill featured on "Shark Tank" in 2018.
Harvard graduate and environmental activist Catlin Powers started her company One Earth Designs in 2008 after traveling the world and seeing a need for cleaner air in Latin America and the far-reaching corners of the Himalayas. In hopes of producing cleaner air through eco-friendly technology and energy-saving products, Powers and her business partner, Scott Frank, developed SolSource through One Earth Designs in 2012. This shiny bowl-shaped grill is energy efficient, heats up fast, and cooks food with only the power of sunlight. Powers started a Kickstarter campaign for the product in 2012 and raised over $140,000 for her eco-friendly product. By 2014, Powers successfully implemented her eco-friendly product in over 2,000 homes around the globe. With such a positive response, Powers decided to take a chance on "Shark Tank" in 2018 in hopes of scoring a deal to increase the impact and visibility of her popular solar-powered grills.
What did the Sharks think of One Earth Designs SolSource grills?
In 2018, Catlin Powers appeared on "Shark Tank" Season 9, Episode 22, hoping to grow the SolSource footprint. The successful entrepreneur wanted to give every home chef willing to take an environmental stance the ability to make some of the 50 best grilling recipes in sound mind. Powers made her pitch to the famous ABC investors and, in the end, was hoping to score a deal of $500,000 for 3% of the SolSource business.
While Powers' product is nothing short of innovative and environmentally resourceful, some big-time investors had issues with how much money her fast-growing company made in the calendar year before appearing on "Shark Tank." While the price points of SolSource grills are quite high, ranging from $300-$500 per product, the company is able to accrue 80% profit when selling to individual customers. However, in 2017, One Earth Designs, in conjunction with SolSource grills, only made $100,000 compared to a lifetime profit of over ten times that amount. Regardless, Mark Cuban felt compelled by the future of SolSource and agreed to give Powers the $500,000 investment for an adjusted 4% equity.
What happened to One Earth Designs after Shark Tank?
Foodies hoping to make the best grilled steak recipe with the help of SolSource grills by One Earth Designs were in luck after the show aired. Directly after the business owner's on-screen debut in 2018, the company posted on the One Earth Designs Facebook page that it was delighted to score a deal with Mark Cuban. The SolSource business was more than $16 million in 2018. Scoring a deal with a popular and influential investor like Mark Cuban was sure to take the exposure and availability of these environmentally friendly grills to the next level.
While no direct interviews are available online to confirm or deny SolSource's success immediately following "Shark Tank," the company continued to make a splash with consumers who want a reliable, solar-powered way of cooking their favorite meals. At the end of 2018, One Earth Designs had its SolSource classic grill for sale and a smaller version called SolSource Sport, which touted user-friendly portability. The company also released its own set of pots and pans designed perfectly to fit on the SolSouce grill base. As of 2019, the company indirectly confirmed the business was running smoothly with a Facebook post advertising the restock of the SolSource classic grill. However, all of the success surrounding One Earth Designs and its resourceful products abruptly ceased in 2020.
What happened to SolSource by One Earth Designs?
Unfortunately, you can no longer score a SolSource Sport to make the perfect cheeseburger on your next camping trip. Given One Earth Designs' continued social media presence and success in 2018 and 2019, you may have thought in 2023, these environmentally sound grills would be more widely available for purchase. However, the company stopped production and ceased transactions starting in 2020.
In a Facebook post dated January 2, 2020, the company stated it would no longer function monetarily and would stop producing and selling SolSource products immediately. However, the One Earth Public Benefit Corporation (which, on a smaller scale, operated as One Earth Designs) stated it would continue to undergo nonprofit ventures in hopes of streamlining the concept of solar-powered technology. The company also promised to keep its customer service branch open and available until June 2020 for SolSource owners.
Based on a few comments on the original post, consumers were not only surprised but disappointed to hear One Earth Designs would no longer be a consumer-based business. Even though the company was contacted more than once by concerned customers, it failed to respond. Company founder Catlin Powers also provided no additional interviews to the general public after her innovative company stopped producing SolSource grills.
Where is One Earth Designs today?
Those looking to buy a solar-powered grill will need to choose another company besides One Earth Designs. As of 2023, SolSource products are still unavailable. The One Earth Designs website is no longer up and running, and you can no longer purchase SolSource grills on Amazon.
Even though there is almost no current information on the One Earth Designs business, founder Catlin Powers continues to spearhead her environmental efforts. Based on Power's LinkedIn profile, she ended her time as director of One Earth Designs in January 2023 but remains a trustee for the Namaste Foundation, which is a group that supports the growth of Earth-supporting nonprofit organizations. In 2022, Powers also became the director of a regenerative farm in New Zealand and a founding trustee for Biome Trust, a charitable organization built on bridging the gap between humans and nature through education and humanitarian efforts that support the Earth as a whole.
While the unavailability of SolSource grills may be disappointing to some, Powers may have had bigger dreams that extended beyond the boundaries of consumerism. In a 2016 interview with Sierra, the budding entrepreneur claimed she was committed to finding more innovative ways to store solar energy but also had dreams of tapping into her other creative regenerative ideas. One Earth Designs SolSource grills may be among the most impactful inventions to debut on the popular ABC show.