Dietary restrictions can prevent us from enjoying snacks that look delicious. Luckily, we now have healthy snacks like Funky Mello, a vegan marshmallow cream that is free of sugar, meat, and most allergens. Founders Delisa and Zach Harper recently promoted their product on Shark Tank and landed a deal with Daymond John. Today, Funky Mello is worth an estimated $500,000.
About the Founder
Theresa and Zach Harper are a husband and wife team who worked in different jobs before becoming entrepreneurs. They met at a music festival and immediately bonded over their shared love of music and food.
Prior to joining Funky Mello, Delisa worked as an event marketing specialist at companies including HP, OpenText, and Search Engine Journal. Zach works in the pharmaceutical industry as a manager and sales representative.
Although they were die-hard foodies, the Harpers had limitations that prevented them from enjoying their favorite childhood sweet treats. They tried healthy snacks but found them to be bland and lifeless.
Founding Funky Mello
This disappointing experience inspired them to create a marshmallow creme made from chickpeas, considered the most underrated allergy-friendly ingredient, and which, according to the founders, is free of the eight major allergens.
They loved the results and started selling at local farmers markets. The couple founded the company six months into their relationship. The products have gained momentum locally, but they hope to expand nationwide.
In 2021, Delisa and Zach launched a Kickstarter campaign, raising over $10,500 from 168 backers. Production and shipping began in September 2021 and progressed very quickly. 76% of pre-orders were shipped within a month.
After Shark Tank
Although the series will be filmed around September 2023, the couple didn’t know until recently that it would be airing! This didn’t give them much time to prepare for a big sales boost. The couple put on a strong campaign and both came across as genuine. The deal with Diamond should be completed within the next six months.
The three-person team will be extremely busy over the next two weeks, answering inquiries and shipping orders. If they can keep up with the new orders, they should be able to generate an additional $50,000 in sales in March 2024 through the campaign.
You can buy them on Funky Mello’s website or at Walmart’s online store. You can also buy them at more than 100 Whole Foods stores. For special occasions, the company partners with Sprouts Farmers Markets. Regular kits range in price from $20.97 to $33.96. However, for now, everything is sold on FunkyMello.com, where they sell items like shirts and mugs.
The company has a large Facebook following and a 4.9-star rating out of 24 reviews. This number is not huge, but it will surely increase significantly as sales increase year by year. The global healthy snacks market is valued at $74.6 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow by 6% by 2030.
Categories: Shark Tank
Source: dut.edu.vn
