How Did You Come Up with the Idea for the Ergo Spout®?
One of the questions I get asked most often is how I came up with the idea for a spout and handle for mason jars. I firmly believe that it’s a natural part of the human condition to try and solve problems or to create tools that make life easier. It’s that old saying “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
In my case it all ties back to a problem that came about because of breakfast syrup.
When Syrup Becomes a Problem
When my oldest son was younger he loved pancakes with syrup. It might be more accurate to say that he loved syrup with pancakes. We went though A LOT of syrup at our house. Drowning your pancakes in syrup is only really a problem if the syrup is expensive. In my case, fortunately, it was not.
My mother-in-law had taught me how to make a simple maple flavored syrup. (You can find that recipe HERE). It quickly became a family favorite because it’s easy, delicious and economical. She also gave me a fancy vintage syrup dispenser. I loved it and used it all the time.
One day I chipped the edge while washing it. I searched the internet for a replacement, but couldn’t find one. I also try purchasing more modern syrup dispensers online, but they were plastic and I didn’t really like them. After a certain amount of frustration, I told my husband, “What I really want is a spout and handle for a mason jar!” I looked online for that too, but it didn’t exist.
Some years later, we started making that dream of a spout and handle for mason jars a reality. You can read about the next steps in our journey HERE.
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