Turbo Trusser For Poultry

In the United States alone, 80 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. That’s a lot of wrangling the slippery birds into submission, breast side up, to truss them. That takes wrapping twine around the neck bone, around the wings and pulling it tight underneath the breastplate, knotting it, then going on to tie the legs together. In other words, you tie the tom or hen into a compact little bundle as the birds keeps wanting to slide out of your hands.

Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust have solved that problem! They invented the Turbo Trusser (“Just Hook It and Cook It”), a clever (and kind of cute) device to truss turkeys and chickens quickly and effectively. The trusser is made of dishwasher-safe stainless steel, decorated with a turkey or chicken design, and suitable for ovens, smokers, roasters, grills, rotisseries and deep fryers. The turkey cooks more evenly, retains juices better and results in a more appetizing presentation.

Easy Trussing

• Take the hooks and insert them into the trusser, through the holes in the eyes of the turkey or chicken design.
• Place the trusser in front of the body cavity.
• Place the legs into the specially designed notches.
• Use the hooks to keep the wings close to the body.

Turbo Trusser Inventors

The two “tinkerers” became friends seven years ago when Kirk was renovating Brian’s home.

• Brian is president of Turbo Trusser, LLC. His background is in product development and bringing innovative products to the retail market. He also a long career in medical sales. He graduated with a business degree from Kent State University and an MBA from Malone University.
• Kirk is vice president of Turbo Trusser and vice president of product development for Hall of Fame Innovations, LLC. He invented the patented Kirk Wrench that can adjust and reach into the tightest spaces more efficiently than any other wrench on the market. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. Now, he is a coach with Nevada-based Invent Right, an organization that educates inventors on how to successfully commercialize their inventions.

Turbo Trusser Before Shark Tank

After some fits and starts with various inventions, Brian and Kirk came up with the Turbo Trusser. They were born and raised in the Ohio Rust Belt, once a manufacturing mecca, and decided to use local companies. The trusser is designed and manufactured in Northeast Ohio. Cleveland Metal Stamping stamps the shape, and the wire is made by Wire Products of Cleveland. Packaging is a family affair as Brian, Kirk and Brian’s wife Bre use a sealing machine to fulfill orders from their warehouse.

But the Turbo Trusser did not stay local. It was introduced in late 2021 and is already in 80 retail stores across the United States and Canada and on Amazon. It’s been shipped to customers in Germany, Italy, Chile, Australia and Great Britain. In the first 90 days on the market, the Turbo Trusser made more than $65,000 in sales.

Turbo Trusser in the Shark Tank

Entrepreneurs Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust entered the Shark Tank seeking an investment of $100,000 in exchange for a 10% equity stake in their venture, Turbo Trusser.

The $1M valuation raised concerns for both Barbara Corcoran and Robert Herjavec, prompting their decision to opt out of the investment opportunity.

However, Kevin O’Leary saw potential in Turbo Trusser and was keen to secure a deal. His offer entailed a $100,000 investment in exchange for a more substantial 33% equity stake, coupled with a $1 royalty in perpetuity per unit sold.

Brian and Kirk deliberated and ultimately opted to accept his offer and left the Shark Tank with the $100,000 investment they needed. The final valuation of Turbo Trusser was adjusted to about $300,000, with Kevin acquiring a larger ownership share in the business than the partners had pitched.

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