Where Is Nature's Wild Berry From Shark Tank Today?
Tart, acidic, or overly sour flavors in food and drinks can usually be balanced out by adding sugar. However, if you want to keep your sugar intake to a minimum, you may end up having to forgo the added sweetness. This is precisely the dilemma that Nature's Wild Berry founder Hank Watt faced when trying to change his eating habits. During this time, his friend and future co-founder Juliano Bonanni had been experimenting with — a fruit you've probably never heard of — ledidi berries at his restaurant. He discovered that eating them would subsequently make anything taste much sweeter than it was, allowing Watt to satisfy his sweet tooth without consuming sugar.
The two decided to start selling freeze-dried ledidi berries as Nature's Wild Berry, marketing them as a powerful flavor-enhancing product that would make any sour food taste sweet. As they shared in a 2023 episode of "Shark Tank," all you had to do was chew these berries for 30 seconds, and for the following 20 to 40 minutes you'd be able to experience their effects. In hopes of turning ledidi berries, also known as miracle fruit, into a best-selling product, Watt and Bonanni turned to "Shark Tank" to ask for $80,000 in exchange for 15% of their business. They didn't end up getting exactly what they wanted, however, they did walk away with a deal they were happy with.
What happened to Nature's Wild Berry on Shark Tank?
It didn't take much for the Sharks to be won over by Nature's Wild Berry. During their presentation, co-founders Hank Watt and Juliano Bonanni had the panel taste an assortment of sour foods including lemons and pickles before and after eating the freeze-dried berries, and they immediately noticed how well they worked. "I feel like a miracle is happening in my mouth," Barabara Corcoran commented, with the rest of the Sharks expressing a similar sentiment.
The only thing the Sharks had a negative reaction towards was that the travel-sized jar, containing only 4.6 grams of berries, retailed for $26.99. However, they were satisfied with Watt and Bonanni's explanation, that each unit only cost $2.64 to make, and that competitors' products were all in the $50 range for even fewer berries. With seemingly high profit margins and projected sales of $340,000 by the end of the year, all of the Sharks jumped to make an offer, except for Corcoran, who said it was "just too wacky" but added that she was "very impressed by [the founders] and the product." In the end, the Nature's Wild Berry founders went with Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban's joint offer of $80,000 for a 20% stake, plus $3 per unit sold until they received a full return on their investment.
Nature's Wild Berry After Shark Tank
Going on "Shark Tank" ended up being a smart and profitable move for Nature's Wild Berry, because after the episode aired, the company experienced a significant increase in sales. Before appearing on the show, Nature's Wild Berry would sell about 40 units per day, but afterward, the number skyrocketed to a whopping 1,700 per day, and completely sold out just days after the episode according to Ecomcrew. When appearing on the show, Nature's Wild Berry was available through "the largest online retailer" (most likely referring to Amazon) and today the product is also sold by Walmart as well as other independent stores and websites.
Since "Shark Tank," the company has been maintaining a good sized following on social media, and has even captured the attention of influencers and celebrities like Jennifer Garner. Since appearing on the show, Nature's Wild Berry hasn't introduced any new products or updated packaging, judging by the website. The only changes to the product seem to be a slight increase in prices, since the travel jar was priced at $26.99 in the episode, but is now $27.99 on Amazon.
Is Nature's Wild Berry still in business?
Nature's Wild Berry doesn't post on social media as frequently as it did in the past, but the company is definitely still in business, which is not very surprising considering the product was one of the biggest food wins to come out of "Shark Tank." The Amazon listing for the 50-pack currently reflects "900+ bought in past month," indicating that the product is continuing to sell well even after the post-episode frenzy died down.
One obstacle to success that seems to have arisen after "Shark Tank" is the rise in competitor products. When the Nature's Wild Berry founders went on "Shark Tank," these competitors weren't as much of a concern because they were priced much higher, though now they all appear to be in the same price range. This clearly hasn't stopped Nature's Wild Berry from staying in business, but interestingly, the company is not listed on Mark Cuban's website under the companies he's invested in, which could mean he stepped away from it. It's still up on Lori Greiner's website, however.
What's next for Nature's Wild Berry?
For the time being, Nature's Wild Berry hasn't publicly shared any upcoming plans to expand its line of products, which currently consists of just the freeze-dried berries in different sized packages. But considering the original product is going strong, there simply may be little incentive for Nature's Wild Berry to work on something new. On Instagram stories, Nature's Wild Berry has posted quite a bit of content featuring other brands, perhaps signaling that there could be collabs in the future. However, nothing has been officially announced yet.
Co-founder Hank Watt is noticeably absent in many of Nature's Wild Berry interviews and Instagram videos, while Juliano Bonanni appears in almost all of them, but Watt is still involved with the company and continues to post updates about it on LinkedIn. Recently, he shared that Nature's Wild Berry hit $1 million in sales after being in business for seven years, so it seems the company is on the right track for continued success.