The Garbage Disposal Hasn’t Changed Since 1953 — Until Now | Tim Ketchum of Composer Appliance

The garbage disposal is one of the most used fixtures in any kitchen — and it hasn't meaningfully changed since 1953. Nobody in the industry pushed for better, and consumers never thought to ask. They just accepted the noise, the smell, the slow drains, and the mystery jams as part of the deal.

In this episode, we sit down with Tim Ketchum to talk about Composer — a completely rethought garbage disposal designed by aerospace engineers who looked at what the category had normalized and decided none of it was acceptable.

Jon Beresford and Tim walk through everything that's broken about the standard disposal: the 70dB+ noise level (Composer runs below 50dB), the inadequate grinding that's been quietly damaging residential plumbing for decades, and the complete lack of innovation that the industry wrote off as "good enough." Then Tim walks through what Composer actually built instead — a 1 HP motor (double the industry average), an Iris system that keeps grinding contained, a continuous bio enzyme that breaks down food before buildup starts, an automatic water flush, and LED lighting under the sink.

Jon also talks about what this means for independent retailers right now. Composer is about to start shipping. The customer hasn't heard of it yet. The competition hasn't caught up. That window — when a product is new enough that the story is still yours to tell — is wide open. The retailers who show up first and tell it right are the ones who own that category long-term.

🎙️ Hosted by Shannon O'Hara and Jon Beresford of Steel Cod, with guest Tim Ketchum.
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