Scratch and Grain from Shark Tank

scratch and grain shark tank

Scratch and Grain were founded by neighbors Leah Tutin and Taya Geiger, and they were featured in episode 607 of Shark Tank. Scratch and Grain feature cookie kits in different flavors that the consumers need to add a few staple ingredients to and bake for those perfect cookies that we all crave. The best part? The cookies are all gluten-free, with the addition of healthy grains into a package of mostly organic ingredients, making it a very healthy cookie as well. The Sharks on the show loved the cookies and cleared them up immediately, assuring us that even though they are healthy, they taste absolutely delicious.

Because of their wonderfully wholesome story, the ladies did catch the eye of the judges since the instructions were super easy, and the final product was terrific. Most of the sharks did go out because they believed that the space for this product was far too competitive or complex. However, they did manage to secure deals from Robert and Barbara, where the ladies ultimately went with Barbara’s offer of a line of credit of $150k with 20% credit as well.

While the initial run of the business after the episode air was very lucrative, the company generated hefty products and was able to profit; they quickly ran into production and cash flow issues. Target wanted the Scratch and Grain products in 1500 locations, and the ladies did not have the machinery for this kind of business. Even though they were able to sort those issues out to some extent, Scratch and Grain have, unfortunately, been out of business since August 2021, which is a shocker to most of us.

Our Review Of Scratch And Grain

Even though Scratch and Grain are out of business now, there must have been some reason why Barbara had such staunch faith in the ladies and why their cookies were gobbled up immediately by the judges. So we decided to get our hands on one of these cookie kits and taste for ourselves what they have to offer.

One of the best features of these cookie kits is that they make the perfect activity to perform with children. It’s a great way to introduce children to baking and invoke in them a love for the culinary arts, or just spend a fun afternoon baking cookies!

The cookies are very easy to bake; they taste good and are not too sugary as well, so you can have quite a few in a single serving. We even tried substituting the ingredients the packaging asked for, like using plant milk instead of dairy, etc., and even then, the cookies turned out really well.

Some of the recipes need modification as the instructions make you end up with drier cookies, and you have to figure out how to make them more suitable to your tastes on your own. Other than that, some of the flavors, such as the oatmeal raisin, are not that great either.

Lastly, these cookie kits are a bit on the pricey side, so we could understand why some people would be apprehensive about investing in them, especially if there are many alternatives available in the market.

Pros Of Scratch And Grain

There are some great things we can say about the cookie kits by Scratch and Grain Baking Company, and here are some of their best features:

  • Recipes can be modified
  • Cookies taste good
  • Easy to bake
  • Make for a fun activity with children

Cons Of Scratch And Grain

Unfortunately, there are some legitimate criticisms about the Scratch and Grain Baking Company cookie kits, and here are some of them:

  • Not all flavors taste great
  • Quite expensive for many people

Who Is Scratch And Grain For?

Scratch and Grain cookie kits are for people who love a healthy dessert but do not want to whip up a whole batch of cookies from scratch while ensuring that they only add the healthiest ingredients. These cookie kits are the perfect product for moms who want to satisfy their children’s cravings by giving them something sweet that can also be qualified as healthy, without having to curate the perfect recipe and experimenting a lot.

These cookie kits make the perfect activity to do with kids, so parents, uncles and aunts, babysitters, and even daycare supervisors can make use of these cookie kits to have a lovely activity with the kids while ensuring that the kids only eat healthily.

Essentially, these cookie kits are for anyone who wants access to cookies with only healthy and sustainable ingredients that do not compromise the taste.

Are There Any Alternatives?

The Sharks rightfully pointed out that the competition in the market for these cookies is fierce since there are many alternatives present already, and many of them are at a much lower price point as well. Some of the most common alternatives to these cookie kits include the following:

  • Bob’s Red Mill
  • Salty Sweet
  • Enjoy Life
  • Brand Castle
  • King Arthur’s

For people who are not quite as health-conscious, many other cookie kits are available from Betty Crocker and other commercial brands. There are also many other small businesses providing ready-to-bake cookies that many people are getting attracted to, and most recipes can be substituted with healthier options easily.

Our Final Thoughts:

Scratch and Grain were a profitable business, and their pitch on Shark Tank elevated them to another level. The founders did what they could to keep the business up and running, but the commercial market requirements of the cookie kits did not align with the initial hand-packing, homely, and crafty image of the brand. They had a good run, and the cookies overall are a great product, and even the Sharks seem to agree with that with the way they devoured the cookies immediately in the episode. We believe that the price point of the cookie kits was ultimately too high, and the market is extremely competitive, with more and more brands coming up with similar concepts, which is why they were unable to keep up.