Aussie inventor sour after copycat kitchen gadget hits shelves

Alex Gransbury thought he'd struck gold with his grand idea to revolutionise the humble juicer.

Called the Fluicer, it's a flat-folding juicer that catches the seeds and guarantees not a drop is left in your lemon.

The kitchen gadget became so popular, Time magazine announced it as one of its top inventions of 2023.

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But a cheap knock-off version has landed on the shelves of Kmart, leaving Gransbury with a sour taste in his mouth.

Gransbury's company Dream Farm sells the fluicer for $25. Kmart's copy retails for just five bucks.

In a statement, the retail giant said it conducts "thorough checks" to make sure its product range does not infringe the rights of other products.

"Our merchandise team is focused on creating curated ranges that align back to global trends that we are seeing, enabling us to provide our customers with great products at the lowest possible price," a Kmart spokesperson said.

"This is particularly important with current cost of living pressures - every day Australians deserve to be able to access great products that they need at great prices."

A Current Affair put the two products to the test, to see how similar they actually were.

FULL KMART STATEMENT

Our merchandise team is focused on creating curated ranges that align back to global trends that we are seeing, enabling us to provide our customers with great products at the lowest possible price.

This is particularly important with current cost of living pressures - every day Australians deserve to be able to access great products that they need at great prices.

Our merchandise process also ensures we conduct thorough checks during the product ranging and development process, to ensure we are not infringing the rights of others.