Peanut butter is one of the most beloved spreads in the world. However, getting every drop out of a jar is a frustrating task. Enter Andy Scherer’s Peanut Butter Pump. It’s perhaps the easiest way to make your PB&Js without letting any peanut butter go to waste. The product was featured on Shark Tank but didn’t get a deal. At present, Peanut Butter Pump is worth $250,000.
Andrew Scherer’s Background
Hailing from Burbank, California, Andrew Scherer is a well-educated individual. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from UC Santa Cruz. In 2001, he got an MBA with a focus on marketing and finance at UCLA.
After this, he landed a job as the funds’ transfer VP at California Commerce Bank. In 2007, he became the Global Compliance Director at Associated Foreign Exchange. Four years later, Scherer was promoted to Business Development Director, working on mergers and acquisitions.
Peanut Butter Pump’s Inception
Andy had a good career in finance, but was fired in 2016. This inspired him to become an entrepreneur. As an avid lover of peanut butter, his first business idea was something that could help him make his favorite sandwich.
In 2017, he established Peanut Butter Ventures for the Peanut Butter Pump product. As the name suggests, it pumps peanut butter out of a jar, and it doesn’t waste one bit.
The aspiring businessman started an Indiegogo campaign in 2019. Initially, he was seeking to raise $20,000 but raised over $163,000. However, he needed more money to fulfill pre-orders.
Andy’s Shark Tank Pitch
To get help with production, Andrew appeared on season 11 of Shark Tank, asking for $200,000 in exchange for 15% equity. An ambitious valuation considering his sales and how niche the product is.
The Sharks weren’t impressed with the product. What came next was a hilarious exchange ignited by peanut butter enthusiast Kevin O’Leary. The Sharks had a good laugh at Andrew’s expense, and they didn’t like that he took some of the pre-sale earnings for personal use.
Daymond John and Lori Greiner went out because they believed the business wasn’t solving a problem. Mr. Wonderful also raised some concerns related to refrigeration. Eventually, all the Sharks were out, and the entrepreneur went home empty-handed.
Update After Shark Tank
Despite not scoring a deal on Shark Tank, Scherer is still operating the business. The Peanut Butter Pump has been featured in many media outlets, most notably the Food Network and Cosmopolitan.
Since the show, the company has had issues with manufacturing and shipping. On their official website thenuttyinventor.com, the Peanut Butter Pump is still in pre-order status and says “The estimated shipping date of this product is 3/15/2020.”
Andrew is struggling to fix manufacturing issues but constantly updates his patient backers on Indiegogo.com. As reported by SharkTankBlog.com, the production samples arrived in August 2022 but more problems need to be fixed before production can begin. As of February 2024, Andrew is still waiting on the tooling creation to start.
Hopefully, he will be able to fully deliver all the pre-orders in 2025. The ways things are progressing with timelines, it could be pushed back again. By now the backers have probably given up but at least Scherer is providing regular updates. The company is valued at an estimated $250,000.
