A small business owner has accused Kmart of an “un-Australian” act after the retail giant started selling a dupe of a genius kitchen tool he designed.
The founder of domestic industrial design company Dreamfarm, Alex Gransbury, has accused Kmart of copying its award-winning folding citrus juicer, the Fluicer.
Mr Gransbury has spent the last 22 years redesigning homewares to improve functionality since setting up his Brisbane business in his garage in 2003.
Last year, Mr. Gransbury designed his most successful product, the Fluicer, an updated version of the humble juicer.
The Fluicer is sold in three sizes – suitable for limes, lemons and oranges – and costs between €19.95 and €29.95.
It has a unique folding design, a built-in wick catcher that helps strain and flow the juice, and anti-spray features.
The product was immediately recognized for its innovative design and was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions in 2023 and featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things.
But earlier this month, the small business owner discovered a duplicate version of his product was being sold at Kmart stores nationwide. The knock-off, produced by Anko, cost just $5.
The Fluicer is a citrus juicer with a unique folding design and anti-spray function. The item is sold in three sizes – suitable for limes, lemons and oranges – and costs between €19.95 and €29.95 (photo)
Kmart is now selling a ‘rip’ of the product for $5
“It’s the most un-Australian thing I’ve ever seen,” Gransbury told the BBC Daily Telegraph.
“We design everything ourselves in Brisbane, we do the prototyping, we employ about 30 people here in Australia, and that product was huge for us.”
Mr Gransbury also alleged that Kmart had used photographs of its product as the Folding Juicer packaging contained an image showing anti-spray properties similar to those of the Fluicer.
But he emphasized that the Kmart dupe does not contain the same anti-spray properties as the Fluicer.
Mr Gransbury said Kmart’s foldable juicer was flawed because it was too small to effectively squeeze lemons and even struggled with limes.
Mr Gransbury said the Fluicer had not been patented in Australia because the process was not economically viable as it required a lawyer and cost about $30,000, along with annual maintenance costs.
Mr Gransbury (pictured left) claimed the dupe was the ‘most un-Australian thing’ and was shocked Kmart would rip off a small Australian business
Mr Gransbury’s product was immediately recognized for its innovative design and was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions in 2023 and featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things.
And he said that even if he had a patent in Australia, it was up to him to take any infringement to court, which would cost him a ‘ton of money’.
While it was not the first time a Dreamfarm product had been copied, Mr Gransbury said it was a “kick in the teeth” that another Australian company had ripped him off.
“I wish we supported each other in Australia, but when did it become okay to rip each other off?” asked Mr. Gransbury.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart for comment.