Gardeners – are you tired of having to choose between weeding by hand and Roundup?

There are garden tasks which are rewarding and you look forward to and then there are those which are drudgery -- weeding is the later because the job is never done. As soon as you finish the task it is time to begin it again because weeds never sleep.

With a half-life of up to 9 months, toxic herbicides like Roundup continue to affect our health long after their application. Whether in our parks and schools or homes and gardens, the damage done by Roundup doesn’t stop with the death of the weed. Over the next week, toddlers will crawl, pets will chase balls, children will play tag on the lawn and flowers and produce will be brought into the house. With residential Roundup use at over 50,000 tons/year and municipal use many times greater, individual gardeners, as well as entire cities and states, are looking for safe, effective alternatives.

Studies regarding the environmental and health effects of Roundup;
Scientific American
National Institute of Health
The New York Times

Enter The HotZot, a revolutionary new tool in a very old market solving an ancient problem using new technology. The HotZot is a unique, organic, point-and-shoot weeding tool that is portable and scalable and crosses over from residential to light commercial and agricultural use.  

The Garden HotZot is designed specifically for gardeners. It is an organic point and shoot sprayer that kills weeds with jets of boiling water. No stooping, no kneeling or crawling in the mud – just point and shoot. No more compacting the soil while you step into your garden to pull the weeds, no more exposing new weed seeds to sunlight.

The HotZot is the first tool to effectively kill weeds organically with scalding hot water combined with organic herbicides. So if you’re tired of weeding by hand and don’t want to use Roundup, the HotZot is the tool you’ve been waiting for.

The HotZot is patented and will provide a necessary weed control tool for homeowners, gardeners, landscape crews, golf courses, schools, parks, sporting fields and business campuses. Heated by propane, it will be totally portable and can be used in the field wherever weeding is needed and can scale easily from residential use to commercial and small agriculture.

Before this tool has even been produced for the retail market, we have support and keen interest in the HotZot. To date there have been over 300 requests to purchase the tool (once it is available).

• Rainbird Golf and Contractor Divisions are interested and have followed development of the HotZot.
• NDA signed by Chapin Sprayers – a major Lawn and Garden tool manufacturer which shows committed interest.
• Aliabiosys - a major agricultural supplier in India requested details and pricing.  They are interested in using the HotZot for weed control in tea, coffee, palm and spice plantations.
• Positec (Worx, Rockwell) is submitting the HotZot to their New Products Team.
• TTI (Milwaukie, Ryobi) has submitted the HotZot to their New Products Development Committee.
• True Value wants to discuss the opportunity of the HotZot becoming a vendor for True Value.

We’ve met with and received support from Congressman Kurt Schrader (D. Oregon 5th Congressional District) and from the Deputy Director for Earl Blumenauer (D. Oregon 3rd Congressional District). Both said that it was “the right tool at the right time.”

Organizations wishing to test the HotZot;

• Wildlife Conservation and Environmental Health Safety
• Trillium Primary School, West Linn, OR
• City of Irvine, CA
• Denver “March Against Monsanto”

In 2018 American gardeners reported spending a record $47.8 billion on lawn and garden retail sales.

Our Market targets School Playgrounds, Landscape Maintenance Contractors, Golf Courses, Public Gardens, Parks, Residential gardeners and Business Campuses to name a few. 

• 35% of households in the US grow food either at home or in community gardens. 1 in 3 households participate in food or flower gardening.
• 90 million households participated in do-it-yourself lawn and gardening activities last year. 
• In 2017 there were over 2,055,000 acres of land devoted to public parks, many of which contain public gardens.
• In 2017 there were 731 dog parks and 23,883 community garden plots in the US.
• 2018 US gardeners spent $47.8 billion on lawn and garden sales.

(Source – National Gardening Association)

"Demand for clean food, clean water, clean air, clean medicine and clean environments is dramatically shifting how people buy plants and products, and garden both inside and out."

Heat Lamp (NatureZap)
Effectiveness: 25%, does not kill plant roots -- multiple applications needed, clumsy to use and the housing becomes very hot and can cause burns, does not work in wet weather.  Cost: $100

Tertill (Franklin Robotics)
Effectiveness - 100% on weeds smaller than 1 inch, does not work on larger weeds. only works on level ground, requires 1 Tertill per 100 sq. ft. of garden.  Cost - $248

Residential Weed Steamer (DynaSteam)
Effectiveness: 25%, does not kill plant roots -- multiple applications are needed, cumbersome to use, must wear protective clothing -- 300F live steam under pressure is used.  Cost: $230

String Trimmer (Weed Eater)
Effectiveness: 25%, does not kill plant roots, multiple applications are needed.  Application area: 16 s.in. safe for the environment, people and pets.  Cost: $79 - $289

Residential Weed Torch (Red Dragon)
Effectiveness: 25%, does not kill plant roots --multiple applications are needed, must wear protective clothing and store propane safely, can cause fires if misused.  Cost: $61-$310 (plus cost of tank, fuel, hand truck and fire extinguisher.)

Roundup (glyphosate) 

Effectiveness: 90%, kills plant roots, easy to use. Dangerous for people and pets - must be kept out of treated area for 24-72 hrs. longer if the area is moist. All clothing worn while treating the area must be washed immediately.  Do not use near waterways, do not use when rain is expected within 24 hrs., protect eyes and skin from contact, do not inhale spray, avoid contact with treated plants, wash hands after contact and spray on a windless day to avoid drift, Minimum application area 4 s.in., Not safe for the environment, the active ingredients (glyphosate and POEA) are toxic to aquatic life, not safe for people or pets.

Cost: $35.00 

Revenues will initially be generated through sales of the Zot through Ecommerce – we already have preorders lined up and production is scheduled to start in summer of 2020. After we have sales figures to validate our market we will consider licensing fees and royalties from major Lawn and Garden tool manufacturers – FlowZone (https://www.fzspray.com/ ) has already said that they want to talk to us when we reach this milestone. Sale of the IP will provide a substantial ROI for investors. 

We see this as a scalable product that can span the Lawn and Garden industry from commercial use to the urban, residential gardener. Our goal is to license different models of the HotZot to different segments of the Lawn and Garden industry.  Therefore we intend to focus on backpack spray tank manufacturers, golf cart manufacturers (cart-mounted tanks) and residential power tool manufacturers.

What do we offer a licensee?
The HotZot offers dual income streams!

HotZot sales - expected production cost of $50 
Expected market price of $200

The HotZot is well-positioned as an organic alternative to existing powered gardening tools and toxic herbicides

Founders Michael Peterson (Inventor) and Bonnie Bruce (Instigator) have been involved with environmental and sustainability issues since 1972 and are passionate advocates of the HotZot. They are committed to every gardener in America having a Zot in their garage or toolshed.

FOUNDERS

Bonnie Bruce - Co-Founder

Landscape Designer who has also practiced commercial interior design for many years. With over 30 years of plantsmanship and 20 years of focus on environmental stewardship to her landscape practice. 

Experience: Interior designer for projects from $2 million - $50 + million, adjunct university instructor, landscape designer, lecturer, and design coach.

Education: BA Sociology, AA Interior Design, post-graduate work in Horticulture.

Prof. Member of APLD, LEED AP, Master Gardener, FIIDA

Michael Peterson - Co-Founder

Inventor of the HotZot, IT Consultant, Event Manager (US Rowing Association), Adjunct College Instructor (Marylhurst College, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon Culinary Institute) and co-founder of Portland/Vancouver Rowing Association, Residential General Contractor.

Education: BA in Psychology, MA Business Management

 ADVISOR

Zen Parry - Advisor

Industry Experience: International Corporate Leadership • Project Management • Operations and Strategic Management • SME – Small and Medium Enterprises • Contracts Administration • Policy Development • Enterprise Capacity Building • Troubleshooting & Turnaround Assignments • Strategic Planning • Marketing • Business Modeling • Scenario and Contingency Development