The Chef'n Sprouter is a fresh take on growing healthy sprouts at home, now with style and ease. The current seed sprouters on the market compete by providing the lowest price to customers but sacrifice functional design and materials. Chef'n saw this as an opportunity to improve the status quo. Through informed research and thoughtful design, we were able to create a product that not only worked better but enticed the customers and their house guests to want to learn more about and take part in the health benefits of sprouts.

Problem

While all the sprouters on the market worked, none were much more than DIY solutions to a Mason jar. These products were quick and cheap but came with significant complaints of mold and lack of storability. The design team surfaced these issues when scrolling through product reviews on Amazon shortly after reading about the immense health benefits of sprouts.

What if people didn't feel the need to store their sprouters?

After deeper examination of the issues with current sprouters on the market, the team shifted focus to understanding how people interact with their sprouters. Many loved the growing process and tremendous health benefits associated with sprouts, but very few had them on display. Out with the mundane! Discovering this underserved market motivated the team to create a product that inspires the user to want to sprout, not just to get the job done. Since sprouting involves leaving the sprout grower out on the counter or a windowsill, we recognized the opportunity to create an experience that the user would see and use daily; something they will ultimately get joy out of just by looking at it.

Process

This design story is driven by the pursuit of 'visual awesomeness'. Following the discovery of issues with sprouters on the market from customer reviews, it was time to collect more data by testing numerous sprout growers to validate their assumptions. And oh, were they confirmed. Not only did the majority of the sprouters have three types of filters to drain the water through, the lids failed to prevent mold from quickly forming around the vessel. These problems needed to be addressed.

Through additional research of blogs, articles and books on sprouts, the team began the ideation process by looking to improve the function of sprouters with a strong emphasis on visual elements, conducting extensive lateral research into eye-popping design. Afterall, this was an opportunity to inspire home cooks into pursuing healthy eating habits while also sparking their guest's curiosity. As the ventilation system to increase airflow for reduced mold was being developed, the team became fixated by the design language of the Harman Kardon SoundSticks Speaker, looking to it as inspiration for the project.

After putting the prototypes in the users' hands to see what concepts they gravitated towards, the team was able to determine the right balance of performance and beautiful design at a reasonable price.

With an emphasis on mixed material, borosilicate glass was chosen for ease of sterilization and aesthetic. Perforated steel mesh was used to enhance airflow through the center and minimize mold growth. To add character, the plastic splash-free pour spout adds a color accent opportunity to the design. This all combined creates a countertop aesthetic unlike any other sprout growing kit.