The jack-o’-lantern is the undisputed symbol of Halloween. To make one, you obviously need to carve a pumpkin, which you can do easily with Halloween Moments. The company, founded by Daryl Braithwaite, sells a glove scraper for cleaning the insides of a pumpkin. Daryl pitched his product on Shark Tank but didn’t get a deal. As of 2023, Halloween Moments is worth $3 million.
Daryl Braithwaite’s Background
Daryl Braithwaite refers to himself as “Big D.” He studied Business Marketing at the University of Phoenix and currently works as a Senior Oncology Territory Manager at Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.
He is a loving husband and father of four young kids who are always excited about the holidays. When Halloween is near, they enjoy going to the pumpkin patch and picking the biggest pumpkin around.
But once the kids found what they were looking for, they would do their best to avoid the next step: cleaning out the insides of the pumpkin. Like most people, they didn’t like the slimy, cold texture.
Founding Halloween Moments
Big D wanted the pumpkin cleaning process to be a family activity. His kids didn’t like pulp sticking in their hands. With this information, Daryl designed a latex glove with a scoop and a serrated aluminum blade attached to it and called it The Pumpkin Glove Scraper.
The product launched in 2021 under the Halloween Moments company. Daryl raised $850,000 from several partners to get it running. After a year in business, they did $100,000 in sales.
Shark Tank Appearance
Daryl believed Halloween Moments needed more money to expand. He pitched his business on season 14 of the show, seeking $300,000 for 10% equity. A $3 million valuation was quite ambitious but did have some sales to fall back on.
He made a flashy pitch, smashing a number of pumpkins and pouring mush onto his head. Daryl was clearly passionate but forgot some of his lines during the pitch. Mr. Wonderful was curious and tried out the product.
The Sharks were shocked at how much money the company had raised and didn’t view it as a viable business because it’s seasonal. Daryll left the Tank with no offers but got exposure to over 4 million people who watched the episode.
After Shark Tank
After the episode aired, Halloween Moments saw a massive spike in sales. This was perfect timing as Halloween was only weeks away at the time of the pitch.
Customers can buy The Pumpkin Glove Scraper kits at Walmart stores, Amazon and their website, HalloweenMoments.com. The kit sells for $10 at Walmart and $14.99 on their website due to shipping costs.
The product has over a 4.5-star rating from 283 reviews on Amazon. Halloween Moments year-on-year sales are up nicely compared to last year. A negative review highlights how the glove is only for right-handed people and isn’t very durable.
The company is now valued at $3 million. It will be interesting to see how the business progresses and what new products they release in the future.
