Vegan Honey Wins Big on Shark Tank

Vegan company Bee Free Honee appeared on ABC television program Shark Tank last Friday and gained the attention—and big investment capital—of three “sharks.” Founders Melissa Helms and Katie Sanchez presented their product as a way to alleviate the production demands for honey placed on bees year-round. The duo successfully answered questions from the sharks regarding their apple-based product’s comparable price points and taste to honey. Holding a container of Bee Free Honee, investor Mark Cuban said, “If I walk into a grocery store with my kid and it said, ‘Buy this, save the lives of 1,000 bees” … “this is a $100 million brand.” While Helms and Sanchez initially asked for $100,000 in exchange for 10 percent of their company, the duo ended up raising $210,000 (but with 30 percent equity) from three investors—Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, and Chris Sacca. Sanchez told VegNews that the funding will be used to increase production and expanding into new markets.