S14.E21: Nature's Wild Berry; Noshi; See the Way I See; You Go Natural

[JTMacc99]

Episode description coming whenever ABC get's around to it.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Sharks-Barbara, Lori, Daymond, Mark,  Kevin    

Natures Wild Berries-miracle berries, Ledidi berries.  Gives your taste buds a sensation of sweetness that lasts for a couple of hours.    You chew two berries for 30 seconds, and any food tastes as sweet as sugar.   It works with unsweetened cranberry juice, lemons, grapefruit, and after two berries they taste wonderful.   The berry effect stays in effect for 20 to 45 minutes.   The jar is $25, margins are fantastic.  Projecting $340k this year, only online for now.  There are no competitors.  The berries are grown in the U.S., are tough to grow.    Kevin wants a royalty and 33% share, and keeps the royalty and 20%, Daymond no royalty and 30%, Lori offers 20% and a royalty, now Lori and Mark want a combined deal and make the deal.

Lori and Mark make a combined deal for 10% each.  

 

See the Way I See-Sophie Nistico is the entrepreneur, selling clothing, jewelry, accessories and stationery for mental health awareness.  Size inclusive, inspirational sayings on the sweat shirt sleeve cuff, plus key chains,  stickers, hats,  and other items.   Crew neck sweat shirts, and hoodies are her main products, and she’s the only employee.   She does monthly drops, that sell out almost immediately instead of having the same items all of the time.   She wants a marketing and mentor expert.  She’s making great profits.   Everyone drops out, Sophie is running a profitable business, and doesn’t need a Shark to help her.  She’s created a booming business from making her products limited to the monthly drops. 

No deal. Sophie didn’t need a deal.

Noshi- food paint- to make food fun and tasty for kids, especially for picky eaters.   Edible organic food paste.  Flavors like strawberry, or condiments like catsup.   $250k for 17% of the company.  Tomo Delaney is the seller.  He must have a deal with Crayola to use their branding.  Margins are very low.  They’re selling in almost 400 Walmart stores.   His wife has long haul Covid, for years.  Wife moved to England to be cared for by her parents.  He’s raising their children as a single parent. I hope he has a lot of inventory, because he will get a lot of demand from being on Shark Tank.   He has four licensing deals with Walmart, going into 1500 Walmart stores next year.  He’s a one-man show at this point. Kevin is out, Barbara thinks it’s a gift item and not a food item, and she drops out.  Lori drops out.   Daymond drops out. Mark is the last one left.  Mark hates the packaging, but loves the Crayola brand tie-in, and thinks online is the way to go.  Mark has some great marketing ideas. Mark is offering 250K for 25%, and makes the deal.

Mark makes the deal, and I love that he did.  

You Go Natural-hair accessories for textured hair. Their numbers suck with $2 million loss last year.  Monique Little and David Dundas own the company, they want $400k for 5%.   They sell products to protect textured hair.   Satin Lined heatwraps, they sell cool turbans, swim turban with a silicon lining to protect your hair from pool chemicals. The sellers are brother and sister.   Daymond loves the bathing cap.  They make their products in Dallas, with good margins.   Daymond looks adorable in the cap.  They've sold $13 million over six years, hoping for $10 million this year.   Last year they lost $2 million, they overbought inventory.

They're in Target now, with the satin lined, knotted  headband, and a satin puff pull (I have no idea what that is, but there's a great video on the Target site explaining it). I think the Shark Tank bump will really help them.   The headbands are remnant items, sell at Target, and are huge sellers.  Barbara is out, Kevin doesn't like going retail and is out, Daymond thinks they don't need investors at this point, Lori hates the losses, and is out.   Mark makes a Sharky offer, $400k for 20%.  They counter offer for 12% for $400k, or a royalty deal with a debt deal with Mark. 

Mark makes it for 10%, plus royalties until he's paid back, and makes the deal.  

Update:   Collars & Co., they do dress collar polo shirts, they had $5.4 million in sales the year before Shark Tank, now with help from  Peter Jones and Mark, they’re doing even better.  They now have a women’s line, and now have $8.7 million in sales.  They’re looking to sell through a bunch of big retailers, Zappos, and others. 

Next week in the Season Finale   Next week is another show, and 19 May is the season finale. 

Edited May 7, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[seacliffsal]

There are so many clothing companies that print "encouragements" on their clothing so I'm surprised the woman with the clothing line was doing so well.  

I would try the berries, but not at a $25 price point (I, like the presenter, love sweet things and really need to lose weight).  It's an interesting product.

I liked the brother and sister and hope they do well with their hair coverings.  The swim turban was really pretty brilliant and I could see that becoming a huge seller.

Food Art?  Really pricey for what it is.  I didn't like the packaging as I could see a child thinking it was real crayons and using them on things other than food.  I also don't see the long-term value of this product as I think even kids would get tired of using them.  What I found really interesting was that the husband and kids did not also move to England along with the mom.  I think there's more to the story...

[CrazyInAlabama]

I can see a kid painting on walls or furniture with the food paint.     

I agree with Mark, the affirmations clothing was the perfect marketing for success.   It's just like the sneakers that only have so many available, don't reissue exactly the same ones, and her social media postings create demand.   I bet she has a lot of customers who buy everything she sells, just like the sneaker collectors do.    The Sharks were right, she doesn't need a Shark or investor, but I hope Mark reaches out to her to tell her the best way to continue.   I am wishing her the best, and hope her business grows and succeeds even more than it does now.   

I love the hair accessories, and hope that they can get the inventory/cash flow under control.   I looked at their website, and love the variety of styles and fabrics.   They only sell two items at Target, but I think online will continue to be their most successful sales method.    The headbands come in a huge variety of colors, and maybe too many for right now.  

There were satin hood lined hoodies, Kin Apparel.   They make lined hoodies, pillow cases, and hats.   

Edited May 8, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I would try the berries, but not at a $25 price point (I, like the presenter, love sweet things and really need to lose weight).  It's an interesting product.

I still don't see the purpose in making a lemon taste like an orange.

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Food Art?  Really pricey for what it is.  I didn't like the packaging as I could see a child thinking it was real crayons and using them on things other than food.  I also don't see the long-term value of this product as I think even kids would get tired of using them.  

A few years ago, they had edible food stickers that were supposed to make kids more interested in eating fruits and vegetables. I don't remember if they got deal, and I'm not interested enough to look it up. However, whether or not that product was a success might be some indication of how this will do.

If slavering food with ketchup is what it takes to get your kid to eat it, why do you need expensive crayons to apply said ketchup? Won't any kind of regular ketchup dispenser work just as well? Just because your kid likes decorating his food, does that mean he is more likely to eat it if he already hated the taste before it was decorated?

Again, I really don't see the purpose behind it, and it is clearly another product for people with a lot of disposable income. Poor kids are told "eat your dinner or starve," and the vast majority of them will go for the former. Then there is also the question of whether it is proper etiquette to encourage children to play with their food. Do you have to stick a tube into every kid's lunch bag? What if your kid only wants the ketchup, but you're forcing the parents to pay for a 3 pack of ketchup, mustard and mayo every time they buy it?

Yet another presenter with delusions of grandeur. He valued his business at almost $1.5 million, and his sales and his margins are both dismal. He has all of $117K in sales or fewer than 22,000 units or less than 58 units sold per store. No wonder stores keep dropping him.

[30 Helens]

I hated pancakes as a kid. (Still do.) I was forbidden to leave the table until I ate my pancakes. At least the food crayons would have entertained me while I waited for my mother to cave. But while my pancakes would have been colorfully decorated with many shapes and faces (probably angry ones), they still wouldn’t have entered my belly.

[Vermicious Knid]

I am actually familiar with the berries, I've looked them up before. They are more commonly referred to as miracle berries. I have mentioned before the many, many thing I don't eat because they taste terrible to me. Fish in particular I find absolutely nauseating. Everyone, including my doctor, says to eat more fish. I wondered if the berries could change the taste enough for me that I could tolerate it. But yeah, the prices are outrageous. $25 is better than most but will still add up because you have to keep buying it. 

All the affirmations make me think of the Progressive commercial, about people becoming their parents and the guy takes the 'Live, Laugh, Love' sign and dumps it in the garbage. 

The absent wife going back to England is a smart move so she won't have to pay for any health treatment. 

Didn't the show previously have somebody selling hoodies with satin lined hoods, also for textured/natural hair?

[Shellie]

15 hours ago, eel21788 said:

Again, I really don't see the purpose behind it, and it is clearly another product for people with a lot of disposable income. Poor kids are told "eat your dinner or starve," and the vast majority of them will go for the former. Then there is also the question of whether it is proper etiquette to encourage children to play with their food. Do you have to stick a tube into every kid's lunch bag? What if your kid only wants the ketchup, but you're forcing the parents to pay for a 3 pack of ketchup, mustard and mayo every time they buy it?

My first thought was it's probably a bad idea to "coddle" kids this way . . . we'll let you paint your food and in return you'll agree to eat it. My folks did let me drown a couple despised meat items in A-1 sauce to mask the flavor, but we already had that in the fridge.

[eel21788]

14 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

 the prices are outrageous. $25 is better than most but will still add up because you have to keep buying it. 

How many servings do you get for $25?

[KaveDweller]

17 hours ago, eel21788 said:

If slavering food with ketchup is what it takes to get your kid to eat it, why do you need expensive crayons to apply said ketchup? Won't any kind of regular ketchup dispenser work just as well? Just because your kid likes decorating his food, does that mean he is more likely to eat it if he already hated the taste before it was decorated?

Having kids paint their food seems like it could be very messy. I can't imagine parents wanting to give kids that option every night. And decorating their food still doesn't mean they will end of eating it.

[eel21788]

13 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

Having kids paint their food seems like it could be very messy. I can't imagine parents wanting to give kids that option every night. And decorating their food still doesn't mean they will end of eating it.

Not to mention how much more time it takes to get through each meal if the kids have to do their decorating project.

[LakeGal]

They were wasting a lot of packaging on the little tubes for the ketchup.  We really do not need more plastic.  

[DrSpaceman73]

Not overly impressed by any of these. 

The affirmations clothing seemed odd to me but agree she's doing great doesn't need a shark.  I'd say what she needs is a designer. The clothes sell but seem plain and bland. 

The hair products seemed high quality even though not my thing but clearly something wrong in the cash flow.  And then a cash strapped company with a low margin due to cost of acquisition is giving up a $5!! Royalty.  How can they afford that?

The kids coloring food its in a bunch of stores and selling nothing. My guess is customers don't understand it looks just like coloring stuff not edible things.  

 

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

How many servings do you get for $25?

I ventured over to their website, which says they are all sold out thanks to Shark Tank. But their $25 bag is 7.4 g or .26 oz and contains 50 berries. 2 per meal so 25 uses, $1 each. Which doesn't sound quite so bad, except if you use them for two meals a day that's not even a two week supply. All three meals and it only lasts 8 days. Or I suppose if your meal lasts longer than 30 minutes you have to take more as well. This size seems practical only if used sparingly. 

There's a small jar of approximately 45-53 servings for $44.97, a medium jar of 160 servings for $107.99, and the large jar of 280 servings for $159.97. I could maaaybe consider buying the big jar which breaks out to .57 per serving, because I would only use it for some meals and it would last me a year or so. 

[30 Helens]

22 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Everyone, including my doctor, says to eat more fish. I wondered if the berries could change the taste enough for me that I could tolerate it.

As I understood it, the berries make everything taste sweet. Sweet fish sounds disgusting to me. 

22 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Didn't the show previously have somebody selling hoodies with satin lined hoods, also for textured/natural hair?

I don’t know, but using satin (or silk) wraps to protect African-American hair is NOT a new thing. I don’t know what this team is doing that is innovative, but it is definitely not the fabric.

[TM101]

I have no idea how that t-shirt girl is doing so well but all the props to her she seems to be crushing it.

I liked the kids food coloring crap honestly. I thought Mark made a good point that it would probably sell better throwing them in a bin for $1.99 than expect parents to pay $5.46 for one. His margins sucked, though, which I imagine is partially due to the licensing fees he’s paying to Crayola and Peppa Pig which are probably insane.

[aemom]

  

Natures Wild Berries: I guess the idea for these is to try and train people who really need to improve their diet to guide them towards eating healthier foods.  Then maybe over time, you can slowly drop the amount of berries that you eat as you become acclimated to the tastes - sort of like slowly reducing how much sugar you put in your coffee over time.

See the Way I See: She is killing it, and good for her.  I'm also not sure why her designs are so popular because they seem rather basic.  I suspect that it's because there is a good community built up and because she only has the merch in drops, FOMO kicks in and people order it. 

Noshi: I felt really sorry for this guy.  I'd like him to do well, but I'm not convinced that this is the business to support his family with.  I also raised my eyebrows at the price - I would not spend this much for that stuff on a regular basis, and honestly, at some point, kids have to learn to eat standard food, or just not eat it.  I really hope that he does well.  He was a guy that I expected to tear up about his hardships, but he didn't.  

You Go Natural: I'm not their target market, so I really couldn't comment, but they seemed to be losing a lot of money, so I don't know...

Update was for the shirt collar company and I didn't understand why this was so popular at pitch time, and I'm really shocked at how well they are doing now - but hey - good for them.

[eel21788]

23 minutes ago, aemom said:

  

Natures Wild Berries: I guess the idea for these is to try and train people who really need to improve their diet to guide them towards eating healthier foods.  Then maybe over time, you can slowly drop the amount of berries that you eat as you become acclimated to the tastes - sort of like slowly reducing how much sugar you put in your coffee over time.

Noshi:  at some point, kids have to learn to eat standard food, or just not eat it. 

Let's just feed the berries to our kids and be done with it. Cost wise, I think you would come out ahead that way. It would definitely be more convenient.

[eel21788]

8 hours ago, aemom said:

   He was a guy that I expected to tear up about his hardships, but he didn't.  

He's British. You know, "stiff upper lip" and all.

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

Sweet fish sounds disgusting to me. 

You've probably never had gefilte fish then. The only reason I can tolerate it is because it doesn't taste much like regular fish.

I have pretty weird taste buds so to me it could end up tasting like something else. 

[eel21788]

15 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

You've probably never had gefilte fish then. The only reason I can tolerate it is because it doesn't taste much like regular fish.

Is your gefilte fish sweet? That's definitely not the way my relatives made it.

[Vermicious Knid]

[eel21788]

7 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Sorry, but any gefilte fish in a jar is a major pass for me.

[eel21788]

On 5/6/2023 at 11:03 PM, 30 Helens said:

I hated pancakes as a kid. (Still do.) I was forbidden to leave the table until I ate my pancakes. At least the food crayons would have entertained me while I waited for my mother to cave. But while my pancakes would have been colorfully decorated with many shapes and faces (probably angry ones), they still wouldn’t have entered my belly.

When I was kid if I didn't like what was being served for dinner, I'd make my statement by sitting at the table and eating my napkin instead.

My mother was a terrible cook, and no amount of decorating gels was going to mask that. She would also scream at us to stop playing with our food if we used peanut butter cups to play checkers and ate our opponent's men after we captured them.

I know this stuff never would have been a "solution" to anything in our house.

[JTMacc99]

Mmm... jelled broth.