More than a year on from his passing, Kettle Gryp co-founder Andy Thomas’ clever piece of gym equipment continues to be as popular as ever online.
There is not a more intimidating feat on television than the thought of going in front of the Shark Tank judges, or their British counterparts on Dragons’ Den.
The likes of Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban are notoriously hard to impress and are not known for their ability to refrain from dishing out stinging words of criticism.
When pitches are successful on the show though, there is no shortage of success to be had with the help of the judges, and the Kettle Gryp story is the perfect example of a successful Shark Tank pitch.
Andy Thomas and Daniel Sheppard are the innovative fitness enthusiasts in question, who took on the sharks and came out on top, just weeks before Thomas fell seriously ill.
The story of Andy Thomas and the Shark Tank Kettle Gryp
Seemingly unintimidated by the presence of the judging panel who sat before them, Thomas and Sheppard were all smiles as they told the entrepreneurs exactly how they believed the Kettle Gryp was going to change the fitness game.
Based around a traditional gym table, the Kettle Gryp aimed to make home workouts easier.
The ingenious idea took the shape of a kettlebell, but instead of having built-in weight, it had a space where users could insert their own free weights, thus making it both portable and adjustable.
Greiner was immediately taken by the product, offering a $300,000 investment for a 20% stake in the business, which was haggled down to 15% by Thomas.
Tragically though, just a matter of weeks after filming took place, Thomas fell ill and passed away in December 2021, before the episode made it to air.
Lori Griener paid tribute to Andy Thomas online
The sad news of Thomas’ passing was confirmed by his wife Carolyn Thomas, who praised his “incredible legacy” in an emotional tribute online.
Thomas’ episode was aired just over a month after his death, and Carolyn encouraged others to watch the moment he and Sheppard attempted to convince the sharks, just hours before it aired.
Greiner herself also paid tribute to Thomas online. In a touching post, the investor described the former marine as “A true American hero”, before promising to continue his legacy with Kettle Gryp.
Here’s to you Andrew! A true American hero, beloved husband, father & friend to so many. Ur hard work & dedication to @KettleGryp & your partner Daniel will live on. Happy to be partners & to help fulfill ur legacy w/ Kettle Gryp https://t.co/8bOWV881uy #SharkTank @ABCSharkTank pic.twitter.com/upQleltaCe
— Lori Greiner (@LoriGreiner) January 29, 2022The Kettle Gryp weight holder continues to go from strength to strength
And, true to her word, the legacy of the Kettle Gryp has been honored.
Having received over 8000 ratings at an average of 4.4 out of 5 on Amazon at the time of writing, it’s fair to say that the Kettle Gryp has been a success.
The company launched new colorways of the product as recently as December 2022 and the product is available to buy at major retailers like Walmart.
In a rather heartbreaking detail on the website, Thomas is still listed as co-president alongside Shepperd over after a year after his death, with his profile section detailing the late entrepreneur’s “passion for fitness and travel”.
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