Naman Shrestha
Over the years, we have witnessed an increasing need to find ways to grow flowers and plants in an eco-friendly and sustainable manner. CowPots has made it possible to garden using biodegradable and plantable pots, which not only have a practical purpose but also provide a more environment-centric solution to gardeners. In the 15th episode of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 16, the manager and co-owner of CowPots — Amanda Freund — pitched her family business to the Sharks with the hopes of getting at least one of them to embark on a venture to spread sustainability by taking her business to the next level.
CowPots: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Hailing from East Canaan, Amanda Freund holds the managerial position at CowPots, a family business founded over a decade ago. However, her journey to having a successful business was nothing short of inspiring. After passing out from high school, she attended Cornell University, where she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics and Management/International Agriculture. Upon graduating with flying colors, she reportedly worked as a legislative aide before serving as the Agroforestry Extension Volunteer at Peace Corps for a couple of years (2010-2012) in Kasama, Zambia.
Right after Amanda returned to her family farm, she became the co-owner and manager of CowPots in East Canaan, Connecticut, starting in May 2012. Apart from CowPots, the Freund family also owns and operates two other businesses — a dairy farm and Freund’s Farm Market. It all started with her father, Matthew Freund, who came up with the idea of the pots after realizing that the cows on the farm were producing more manure than required for fertilization. He began working on the pots for several years and finally began selling these biodegradable pots in 2006.
Sourced from 100% renewable, recycled, and composted cow manure on the Freund family’s dairy farm, CowPots provides eco-friendly planters for flowers and produce, encouraging a sustainable cycle that does no harm to the environment. In an interview with Dairy Herd Management, Amanda Freund explained, “We have been marketing CowPots for 18 years now, so we’re not a startup or new business like a lot of the entrepreneurs on the show. But as a small business, we have relied heavily on grassroots marketing. There have been a few exciting opportunities over the years, including features on ‘Dirty Jobs’ with Mike Rowe and a spotlight on the ‘Martha Stewart Show.’ As with any product and all marketing, it’s an ongoing and continuous endeavor to have our product in front of prospective customers.”
CowPots: Where Are They Now?
As mentioned above, CowPots has been in business for more than a decade. Before the exposure they received from featuring on ‘Shark Tank,’ the environment-friendly brand had been using conventional methods of marketing. Berkshire Agricultural Ventures helps CowPots get grants for investing in marketing, including the USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant. In 2019, it was named one of the winners of the Energy Innovator Awards. Recently, in August 2024, the company’s vision and contribution were recognized by the International Dairy Federation (IDF), which announced CowPots as one of the finalists for the 2024 edition of the IDF Dairy Innovation Awards.
A couple of months later, in October, Amanda and her father attended the IDF World Dairy Summit 2024 in Paris, France. Though they did not win the award, they were proud to “represent sustainable agriculture alongside the world’s leading dairy innovators.” Apart from sharing CowPots’ sustainable approach with others, the owners also connected with dairy professionals and sustainability advocates from across the world at the summit. Besides being sustainable, CowPots is also known for being innovative and versatile, as it can custom-build biodegradable pots for different kinds of consumers — greenhouse growers, home gardeners, cannabis growers, and retailers.
The brand also provides pots aimed at benefitting seed germination and transplanting seedlings. Available in different shapes and sizes, you can purchase these pots from the official website of CowPots — 10 Row Tray at $54.51, #6 Round pot between $24.48 and $56.21, #11 Square Tall pot between $46.56 – $168.74, and more. The website not only offers pots but also various CowPots merch, including t-shirts, caps and other accessories associated with gardening. In February 2025, Amanda partnered with Grower’s Solution for a giveaway of selected products of CowPots.
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