Lesley Haywood is the inventor of Grill Charms, a stainless steel grilling gadget that works similar to a wine charm. The charms are inserted into a piece of meat on the grill to note which needs to be cooked rare or well-done. Lesley got the idea when her husband served her an extra hot Jamaican Jerk piece of chicken instead of a mild one. The stay-at-home South Carolina mom pitched Grill Charms on Shark Tank in 2011. She accepted Robert Herjavec’s offer of $50,000 in exchange for 25 percent equity in Grill Charms. The investment was exactly what she had asked for. [Related: 27 Favorite ‘Shark Tank’ Products at Amazon — New List]
After Shark Tank, Herjavec said he invested in Grill Charms “because I believe it’s a good product but it starts with Lesley.” He explained, “Sometimes you come out and you love the product but you don’t know about the person behind it. With Lesley she fills the room.” She came into the Tank saying “Hi, y’all!” Herjavec says her spirit was “infectious.” In August 2017, 3 out of the 4 Grill Charms Collections (Spicy, Charmed Life, and Pink) are sold out on the Grill Charms website, leaving only the Steak Collection available for purchase. However, Charmed Life is available on Amazon (see link above). According to SharkTankBlog, Leslie landed an exclusive licensing agreement with Fox Run Brands, LLC, to manufacture and distribute Grill Charms, which is now under the OUTSET Brand. Lesley says she gets quarterly royalties in perpetuity.
You saw @GrillCharmer on Season 1 of @ABCSharkTank… now see how they’re doing on #BeyondTheTank this Thursday!https://t.co/7k5jY2HSjK
— Beyond The Tank (@BeyondTheTankTV) January 26, 2016
