Victoria entrepreneur Taylor McCarten was walking out of the DragonsB次元官网网址� Den dejected and empty-handed when, at the last second, Arlene Dickinson called him back.
McCarten had been pitching his companyB次元官网网址檚 solution to smelly compost B次元官网网址� the worldB次元官网网址檚 first indoor compost powder B次元官网网址� to the panel of business moguls (dragons) on the Canadian reality TV show.
B次元官网网址淒ragons, imagine this. YouB次元官网网址檙e coming home from a long day at the office counting your money, and you walk into your kitchen and you smell something disgusting,B次元官网网址� McCarten opened his pitch with. B次元官网网址淵ou follow your nose and what do you know? Once again itB次元官网网址檚 your kitchen compost bin.B次元官网网址�
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| Taylor McCarten is the co-founder of BinBreeze, a compost powder that eliminates odours and fruit flies. (Courtesy of Taylor McCarten) |
Designed by McCarten and his co-founder, University of Victoria PhD chemist and professor Harmen Zijlstra, the powder is made up of locally sourced Douglas fir wood waste, fossilized algae, hyper-porous minerals and organic essential oils B次元官网网址� all designed to eliminate odour and fruit flies.
The fossilized algae is hyper-absorbent and soaks up the waxy coatings of insects with exoskeletons. When fruit flies are exposed to the algae, they lose their outer coating and are unable to fly. They then slowly dehydrate until they compost alongside the food waste.
All people have to do is shake some of the holiday, lavender or unscented powder over the top of their food waste, McCarten explained.
The product is also beneficial for the environment. The wood waste that BinBreeze uses in its powder would otherwise be part of the millions of tonnes burned in Canada every year B次元官网网址� a practice that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
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The Dragons were immediately interested in the idea, but grew unimpressed when they determined McCartenB次元官网网址檚 valuation was off. He was asking for $270,000 for 10 per cent of the company.
One by one, each Dragon backed out and McCarten was left without a deal. Then, as he was walking out the door, Dickinson called him back and offered him $270,000 for 49 per cent. McCarten accepted.
More information on BinBreeze and where it can be purchased can be found at .
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