Brazi Bites Before Shark Tank
Junea decided to make her family’s secret recipe for Brazilian cheese bread into a full-time business. Would the Sharks be a fan of the cheesy Brazi Bites? Let’s take a look.
Brazi Bites on Shark Tank
The camera panned to 6 different packs of the Brazilian cheese bread. They look like freezer bags. Cameron said that they had six different flavors that you can bake in your oven. Some of the flavors were original, garlic Asiago, and jalapeno pepper jack. Jr said that their customers couldn’t get enough of Brazi Bites. She asked the Sharks who wanted to join them. Robert told her to bring them on. The rest of the Sharks did not let her finish her statement, they all wanted to try a bite. Junea walked around with a giant tray marked with different flavors of the Brazi Bites. Robert seems to enjoy his, exclaiming that it was so good. Lori had the garlic asiago and appeared to enjoy hers as well.
Juniata explained that instead of using white flour, Brazi Bites use tapioca flour which is naturally gluten-free. The Sharks didn’t seem to hear her they were too immersed in their food. Robert and Lori were very complimentary, but Kevin jumped right into business. You want to know how many calories were in each bite. Junia explains that the serving size was three pieces, and each meal contained 120 calories. She continued saying that the Brazi Bites by its only contains eight ingredients with nothing artificial. They don’t contain any preservatives. Kevin wanted to know if you were able to cook the Brazi Bites in the microwave, or if you had to use in the oven. Junia said that you couldn’t. Because the Brazi Bites are sold as frozen dough, they need to be baked. She stated that the process was not complicated. As she put it, “If you can make frozen pizza at home, you can make Brazi Bites.”
Robert wanted to know how many grocery stores they were in. Junea told him that they were available and 700 grocery stores across America. They were even featured in a couple of big-name stores, such as Sprouts and Whole Foods. Robert wanted to know how they had made that contract, and if they had dedicated sales reps. Junia explained that she and her husband Cameron had done all the legwork herself for those deals. Robert asks them how long ago they had started the business. Cameron told him, but they began three years ago. He continued, saying the Sharks that they had tripled their revenue every year. Their first year Kama they cleared 60000 in Revenue. The next year it was $200,000 and last year they did $600,000. Cameron finished, telling the Sharks that they were on track to do a million dollars this year. Robert Seaman seemed impressed.
Daymond wasn’t sure if he could add any value to the business. They were already doing very well, and he thought that they would continue to grow in the Whole Foods Market. Daymond’s suggested selling online, where they could get a full margin. Kevin looked confused asking if they would ship it Frozen. Kevin thought it was a bad idea. Daymond thought that he could provide value by linking them to another business, but he just invested in. That company was already making millions of dollars, and selling very well on QVC. They had all of the groundwork and place to sell food on an online basis. They also had an extensive customer base. Daymond said that his time who’s worth more than 10%. He wanted 25% of the company in exchange for the 200000 dollars that they were asking for. Cameron asked him if that was an official offer, and Daymond said that it was.
Cameron thanked him for the offer. He wanted to see if there are any other offers on the table. Kevin stated that he would do $200,000 in exchange for 20%. Lori indicated that she was considering making an offer as well. She recently invested in a business that made stuffed Bagel balls. She was concerned the Brazi Bites might be competition for that business, or if she would be able to make it integrate with each other. Lori ask them to tell her what the difference was between the two companies. Junea looked stumped. Cameron jumped in and told Lori that the difference between Brazil bites and the stuffed Bagel Company was that Brazi Bites word gluten free. Lori said that that was right on the nose. Robert told them that they answered well. Daymond stated that he was nervous for them.
Lori decided to make it interesting, and offer the same 25% in exchange for the $200,000 that Daymond was doing. Kevin said that he wanted to make it interesting, and dropped his Equity asked to 15 percent. he stated that he want to put pressure on Daymond and Lori. Robert made a terrible pun, and told the couple that they had a Feeding Frenzy for their Brazilian bites. The other Sharks looked at them expectedly. the announcer reminded everyone that none of the Sharks have gone out yet, but only three of them had made offers. Junea want to know more about Kevin’s vision for their company. He had offered the money but had been silent on how he wanted to help them expand. Kevin said that he saw their strong suit as being able to get into standard groceries. Lori cut in, and stated that she saw them going after more of the natural and organic food places. This would help them make a strong brand. Once they were able to have brand recognition in the natural areas, it would make going into regular grocery stores easier because people would already know the name.
Daymond wanted to know if they had get out on the company. Cameron told him that they had to take out a loan in order to build their production facility. Mark asked them how much debt they were in at the moment. Cameron said that the debt was about $200,000. Cameron continued, stating that they were going out of production and would be selling off a lot of their equipment. That would redo a lot of the cost. David wanted to know why they were transitioning out of manufacturing the products themselves. He asked them if they had found a good co-packer or a partner to work with. Cameron said that they did have a co-packing partner that they were going to work with. Daymond wants to know if that co-packer was also going to own part of the company. Cameron admitted that the co-packing partner had also made an investment in the enterprise. Came and asked how much the investment was for, and Cameron told him that they have a 50-50 investment with that partner.
The Sharks look surprised. Diamond ask them if they only own 50% of the company. The couple admitted that this was true. Cameron told the Sharks that the partner had made a multi-tier investment that involves the line of credit as well as cash, and they’re also building the production facility. He said that they were ordering custom equipment from Brazil. Robert stated that he had enjoyed the food, but the deal fell apart for him when they told him that they only own 50% of the business. He didn’t know this other partner and therefore did not trust him. Robert went out. The pair thanked him.
Mark went out next. He said that the risk-reward factor was just not enough for him. the couple thing to end as well. Cameron addressed the remaining Sharks and told them that he knows how much they would bring to the table but 25% was more than they would be willing to part with. He seem to be ignoring Kevin’s offer. Robert told them to make a counteroffer. Lori said that they had made a mistake coming into the Shark Tank after having given away 50% of their business. She told them that it made it very difficult for them to negotiate. Junea didn’t respond, instead asking Laurie if she would be willing to match Kevin’s 15% Equity ask. Kevin said that he would be prepared to drop his offer to 12 and a half percent to make it more attractive. Cameron had the guts to ask Kevin if he would just go to the original asking bad for 10%. Kevin said no, but he would be willing to do the 12 and a half percent. Lori stated that that was that question was just what he deserved. Lori indicated that she might be ready to do 20%.
Robert told the pair that they need to make a decision soon. Do you need ask Lori if the 20% was her final offer. Kevin cut in, stating that the 12.5% was as low as he was willing to go. Daymond said that he would match Lori’s offer at 20%. Lori said that you’d be ready to go to 18%. Cameron and Junea discuss it amongst themselves, and then asked Laurie if she would be willing to go down to 15%. Lori shook her head. Lori told the pair that she was worried. Junie and tried explaining that she had nothing to be concerned about because they were already a successful brand.
Lori said that she knew that they were a successful brand already, but she was concerned about the challenges that they still had to go through Lori stated that she would split the difference between the 18% and the 15%. she made the offer for $200,000 in exchange for 16.5%. Kevin and Daymond both went out. Junia told Lori that she had a deal. As she hugs the pair, Lori told them that she was surprised that the snack was gluten-free. Since they were so delicious.
Brazi Bites Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
Unfortunately, the deal with Lori never got past the due diligence stage. They did, however, get a huge amount of traffic due to the “Shark Tank Effect”. In fact, their website got so many visitors that it promptly crashed after their segment aired on TV.
Despite the deal not working out, however, Cameron and Junea managed to continue growing the company. Two years after they appeared in the tank, they signed a distribution deal with Target.
Then in 2018, it was announced that the company had sold a majority stake to the private equity firm San Francisco Equity Partners. The details have not been disclosed but Junea has stated that it’s a “significant investment.”
By 2021, Brazi Bites were available in most supermarkets across the United States. In fact, it’s hard to find a store that doesn’t sell them. They’re also sold on Amazon, where they are highly rated, with many customers praising the snacks for their taste, texture, and size. Some people aren’t fond of the snacks’ high price but other than that, the overall consensus seems positive.
Fast forward to 2024 and Brazi Bites is still in business. Nowadays, their Brazilian cheese bread is available in four flavors: Cheddar and Parmesan, Garlic Asiago, 3 Cheese Pizza, and Classic Rance.
In March 2022, they also launched Pizza Bites, which are handheld pockets that are filled with various “toppings” from pepperoni to mozzarella. Currently, there are three different flavors to choose from Pepperoni, Four Cheese, and Supreme. All of the Pizza Bites come in 10oz bags and are frozen for maximum freshness like their original cheese breads, they’re certified gluten-free and do not contain any artificial ingredients.
That’s not all, they also offer Empanadas, which come with a cheesy crust and savory fillings. There are currently two flavors to choose from: Chicken and Cheese and Black Bean and Cheddar. Each bag comes with 10 pieces and is ready to eat after baking for 20 minutes.
Last but not least, they also sell breakfast sandwiches. There are four kinds to choose from Turkey Bacon, Egg & Cheddar, Turkey Sausage, Egg & Cheddar, Double Egg and Cheddar, and Bacon, Egg & Cheddar.
For those who want to order directly from their website, they also offer a variety of packs that come with an assortment of their snacks. For example, you can order a 4-pack variety pack that comes with two bags of cheese breads and two bags of Empanadas. Orders typically ship the following day and arrive within two days of shipping.
