What Is HotShot?
A hot coffee beverage in a can is called HotShot. The five flavors are French Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate, Black, and Espresso.
Due to the cutting-edge technology used, the coffee is brewed to a temperature of 140 degrees and stays hot. The coffee can also be held without the risk of burning the user.
Who Is the HotShot Founder?
Danny Grossfeld founded HotShot USA. Before starting HotShot USA, he had previously achieved success as an entrepreneur. Danny is now HotShot USA’s president. This remark is accurate for how we founded our firm because it describes how HotShot the USA was born from an inspiration that could strike at any time.
Before a business meeting, Danny went for coffee early one morning in Japan. He couldn’t find a cup of hot coffee. He gave up and headed to what appeared to be a “cold coffee refrigerator.” It was a can of hot coffee, not a refrigerator, though. When he returned to the US, the popularity of Japanese canned coffee served as the catalyst for the creation of HotShot USA.
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Danny spent six years perfecting his creation. In the six years prior, he had spent about two million dollars. HotShot had spent the money, but no money had been made as a result. He only ever had inquiries, and none of them turned into sales.
Danny was adamant that he would overcome the challenges and advance. The HotBox, an insulated container that keeps nine cans of coffee warm for up to three months, was also developed by the person who came up with HotShot beverages. He received acclaim from the Shark Tank judges for his persistence and creativity.
Before Shark Tank, Hot Shot:
In 2008, Danny Grossfeld was in Tokyo for work and needed a coffee around five in the morning. The native New Yorker visited a number of shops in search of his caffeine fix but was shocked to find that none of them seemed to have any hot coffee available.
He soon gave up the idea and went to a cooler in a back room of a business to grab a soda, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that what he had thought was a cooler was actually a heated unit for coffee cans that were ready to drink.
After learning about the hot beverage in can business in Japan, Danny became so intrigued by the idea that following his return to the United States, he started looking into the scale of the market. He soon understood that Japan, which ranks third globally in terms of average coffee consumption, behind the US and Germany, is home to multimillion-dollar canned coffee industry.
The businessman started experimenting with his version of the beverage and came up with a workable heating technique. He improved his formula countless times before mastering it. He also created the Hotbox, a device that keeps liquids heated to a constant 140 degrees for up to three months.
Danny used his own money in addition to additional support from his family and friends to pay for the production process and the expensive molds. Finally, he committed more than $2,000,000 to his objective. By the beginning of 2015, everything seemed to be moving smoothly when a test run of 1,000 cans was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from testers.
Danny used the crowd-funding platform Kickstarter to generate money for a production run of 4,000 hotbox units. When the Los Angeles Times wrote about the Hotshot company, Danny was able to promote his Kickstarter campaign, but unhappily, not many other people shared his vision, and the campaign, which had a goal of $80,000, only raised less than $10,000.
The LA Times article, however, had an additional, more advantageous result. Because they appreciated Danny’s drive, ambition, and tenacity over the years of product development, Shark Tank producers called him. They encouraged him to participate in the show, and in October 2015, he finally entered the tank.
How Was the Shark Tank Pitch of HotShot?
Danny went to the tank in search of a $300,000 investment in exchange for a 10% ownership part in his company. He told the sharks at the start of his presentation that he had created the best convenience for hot coffee, perfect for mornings when busy coffee enthusiasts are constantly on the go.
They might never have to make a cup or stand in line again if they obtain a hot beverage from a hotbox. He questioned them about who among them would be prepared to join the coffee revolution and become a Hotshot because it was the first “grab-and-go, ready-to-drink in a can” coffee product in America.
Robert Herjavec said, “You’ve got to try it,” and Danny had some samples ready. Lori Greiner remarked on the warmth of the can as he gave the sharks sips. Mark Cuban, an American capitalist, noted that 140 degrees are often considered to be quite warm.
Danny took the chance to draw attention to the insulating label, which absorbed 50% of the heat and kept the cup from getting too hot to hold. The coffee was well received by the Sharks, and several remarked on how good it tasted. Danny said that over the course of six years of development, he had altered the recipe over 1,500 times in order to create a product that tasted great and could be cooked constantly for up to three months.
Robert Herjavec enquired about Danny’s source of inspiration. Danny talked about his trip to Japan and the cans of coffee he found there. Danny said that it had taken six years and $2 million to produce the product in response to Robert’s question about how many sales he had made so far.
Chris Sacca was perplexed and asked Danny if he had sold $2 million worth of goods, but Danny had not. Danny disclosed that despite spending $2 million over six years to develop the product, he has yet to make a single sale. Kevin O’Leary tapped his fingers and grinned. He did not, however, launch an immediate attack.
Chris Sacca questioned Danny, “I’m not sure if you’re pitching or asking for treatment. Danny was still in the tank. His expression, however, suggested that therapy was more plausible. Kevin emphasized his view that Greek philosophy is the root of all business methods.
When Kevin starts talking about philosophy, Lori says, “Oh No,” knowing that that is never a good indication for a shark tank applicant. Then Mark Cuban started laughing. Kevin told the story of Sisyphus, a mythical king who was forced to carry a huge rock up a mountain for all of the eternity only to find that it rolled back down when he reached the top.
In order to push the Hotshot company up a mountain, Kevin claimed to Danny that he was the cursed man and that he had never generated any sales. When his futile attempts finally failed, he was forced to try again. Danny asserted that he was starting the company today in defense of himself after spending years creating his idea.
Robert asked what the $2 million that had previously been invested in the company was for. After months of constant heating—a process that cost him a million dollars—Danny claimed to have finally created a product that tasted excellent.
Although these products weren’t available in America, he told the sharks that the market in Japan was worth $15 billion and was the third-largest beverage sector globally. Robert wanted to know if Danny had managed to get any convenience stores to stock his products.
Although many shops had expressed interest in the Hotshot business, Danny claimed that he still had not signed any contracts. Even yet, he maintained that with a shark’s help in connecting with merchants, his product would practically sell itself. Kevin O’Leary would not serve as Danny’s ally. After six years of no sales, he suggested to the businessman that he might want to think about switching careers.
Kevin held the opinion that if a company did not make a profit after 36 months, it was merely a hobby and should be “taken into the barn and shot.” Kevin had already left. The Hotshot idea didn’t impress Robert Herjavec either, despite his mention of the differences between the American and Asian markets.
He suggested that in an already fiercely competitive market, switching to hot coffee in cans would be far more challenging because American consumers had a much wider range of coffee shops to choose from. Robert wished Danny luck in the future but realized he was also out.
Chris Sacca revealed that he had previously invested in Blue Bottle Coffee, a high-end coffee store that received $70 million in 2014 from a number of renowned technology investors. He was also withdrawing because he thought the Hotshot company would be in direct rivalry with Blue Bottle.
Mark Cuban broke both good and bad news to Danny. The Texan shark remarked that while he hated the company, he respected Danny and the idea behind it. Danny was told by the Landmark CEO that although he would not invest in the business, he would taste the hotshot coffee once it began shipping orders.
Danny asked, “How about the stadium as well?” but Mark was less enthusiastic. He grinned at Danny’s unbridled joy and said, “That boulder is going to collapse and crush you.” Danny seemed pleased when Robert said, “Well, you’ve got a customer,” but he soon turned his attention to Lori Greiner, the last shark in the tank and his last chance to conduct business.
Sadly, Lori was unwilling to throw the entrepreneur a last-minute lifeline. She stated to Danny that she had a gut feeling the company would never flourish after spending so much money on the goods and receiving no similar return on investment. She thought that in this situation, Danny himself should be the sixth person to reject the business.
She warned him that she believed the Hotshot firm will fail and recommended Danny leave it as well in order to “Stop the bleeding.” Danny said, grinning, “I can’t stop now; I’m launching this fall,” but the impact of Lori’s speech had significantly dampened his upbeat perspective.
Does HotShot Still in Business?
In less than three years since the episode aired, HotShot and Amazon have partnered. Beginning July 1, 2018, Amazon will start delivering HotShot hot coffee and hot chocolate subscriptions.
Additionally, HotShot has partnered with grocery stores, hotels, theatres, and sporting venues including Madison Square Garden.
Five flavors of HotShot are offered in the US: French Vanilla, Caramel, Espresso, Hot Chocolate, and Black. The price of a six-pack of 8 fl. oz. cans on the HotShot website are $26.99. For $69.99, a 12-pack that includes a HotBox is offered.
What Happened To HotShot After Shark Tank?
After the show, Danny expressed regret that the sharks had failed to recognize the Hotshot company’s potential and astonishment at their lack of interest in such a lucrative billion-dollar industry. He claimed that despite repeated warnings from others that his plan would never succeed, he was now more determined than ever to make it happen.
Danny remained upbeat about the future in the months that followed the event, declaring in December 2015 that three theatre chains had agreed to test Hotshot coffee during the first three months of 2016. I was unable to locate any proof that the experiments had taken place, though. The company’s website has stated that Hotshot products will be available for pre-order soon ever since the Hotshot segment originally aired.
Pre-orders would no longer be allowed, and all pre-order money will be returned, the business started in March 2016, citing “Production Issues.” Whatever the production issues are, it seems that the Hotshot company has slowed down, as has Danny’s formerly unrestrained enthusiasm for it.
The Hotshot social media accounts have been completely silent since the show. There aren’t many questions from prospective customers asking when they can buy Hotshot items for themselves on the company’s Facebook page. There has been no answer to any of the inquiries.
Danny was given some advice by Lori Greiner, and he decided to take it and go on. Alternatively, he might still be out there, resting up before pushing the Hotshot rock up a mountain, unable to let go now that he’s so close to the summit.
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