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The upcoming episode of Shark Tank season 13 is set to welcome a mother from Lafayette, Indiana, who invented reusable breastmilk storage bags. Founder Nikeytha “Nickey” Ramsey has named her company Junobie.
The Shark Tank product is a simple way to store breastmilk in reusable bags without any usage of plastic. Ramsey launched Junobie after getting tired of leaky plastic bags and inconvenient glass bottles.
She is a working mother who was raised in a non-traditional family and once experienced homelessness. It was her mentors in high school and college encouraging her that made her do something to break her poverty cycle.
What made Ramsey think of Junobie?
Even after landing a good job, Ramsey struggles didn’t end, especially after becoming a mother. When her daughter was two-years-old, she came down with epilepsy. At first, Ramsey thought it was her fault as she shouldn’t have used plastic bottles to heat the milk.
Eventually, she understood that certain things were not in her hands, but the search for the reason of her daughter’s illness introduced her to the harmful effects of plastic.
Speaking about her product to a local publication, she said,
“I was very aware of the plastic leaching and all these things by the time I was having baby No. 2. I just wanted something that was going to be a healthier option, that was going to be lightweight, and it wasn’t going to be plastic and non-glass either.”
Ramsey continued,
“Traditionally the two methods of storing breastmilk are either plastic or glass. I needed something that would enable me to heat breastmilk up and could tolerate a safe, stable temperature.”
Junobie’s first prototype was a disaster
While doing her research, Ramsey couldn’t find any reusable breastmilk bags online and thus, she decided to launch her own product in 2019. With the help of an engineer, she created the product’s first design and sent it for production to a factory that showed interest in backing Junobie.
But the first prototype turned out to be a disaster. The obstacle didn’t stop Ramsey as she began creating multiple designs with the hope that one of them would work. Unfortunately, it took a lot of time to get her team ready for the presentation of the new design. She couldn’t find a factory for her product, so Ramsey finally decided to use the power of social media.
After lengthy online promotions, her product was out of stock within in 72 hours.
What is Junobie's price range?
Interested buyers can purchase Junobie products through the company’s website or on Amazon. Their basic reusable breastmilk storage bag has a 2-pack deal at $19.99 and a 4-pack deal at $34.99. The site also provides a Gen 2 model priced at $21.99, which is a 2-pack.
The company also sells milk boxes, trays, milk jars, cups, cleaning brushes, and milk bag starter kits. All of Junobie's products are made of 100% FDA-approved food-grade silicone.
More about Shark Tank episode 14
Ramsey will pitch her business on Shark Tank’s episode 14, which will air on Friday, February 25 at 8.00 pm ET on ABC. Apart from Junobie, the other three business deals of the episode include Range Beauty, Diaper Dust, and Pinole Blue.
SKIMS founder Emma Grede will arrive on Shark Tank as a guest shark. She will join the regular panel of sharks including Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, and Kevin O’Leary.
