Truffles, like caviar, are an expensive delicacy that people love to eat. Usually only high-end restaurants can buy these rare truffles, but Truffle Shuffle makes them directly available to the masses. Founders Jason McKinney and Tyler Vorce pitched their business on Shark Tank and landed a deal with Mark Cuban. As of 2024, Truffle Shuffle is estimated to be worth $6 million.
Founder
Taylor Walls is from Oakland, California, but little is known about his education. Walls learned to cook as a sous chef at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant The French Laundry.
Here he met Jason McKinney, a chef from Georgia, USA. Prior to working at The French Laundry, he cooked at Sea Island Resort and also worked at Hawkeye Ranch.
While both men appear on the show, the food company has a third co-founder, Sarah Rundle-McKinney, Jason’s wife, who also met the two friends while working at The French Laundry.
Founding Truffle Shuffle
Taylor, Jason and Sarah see an opportunity in sourcing truffles, a culinary ingredient so prized there’s even a black market for it, and the trio seek out true truffle hunters and work directly with them.
They launched Truffle Shuffle in 2018 and sold truffles to high-end restaurants. Eventually, the aspiring entrepreneurs landed a deal with Whole Foods, but things changed when the pandemic hit.
The restaurant closed, but they still had $20,000 worth of truffles to sell. Instead of losing heart, they started selling online to businesses and consumers. The company began doing virtual cooking shows, a change that helped them generate $1.4 million in revenue in 2021.
Shark Tank Appearance
When social distancing rules were gradually lifted, the founders were faced with a dilemma: whether to return to their old business model or stick with the new one. Jason and Tyler turned to the Sharks for help in Season 12, asking for $500,000 for a 5% stake.
The guys got off to a good start and caught the attention of the Sharks. The company was very profitable and revenue was growing every year. Despite $1.4 million in sales so far this year, the company only made $8,000 in net profit and was having cash flow issues.
Robert Herjavec was the only one willing to bid, offering $500,000 in exchange for a 20% stake. Unexpectedly, Mark Cuban showed some interest, and the founders wanted to make a joint deal. Cuban alone offered $501,000 in exchange for an 18% stake.
After Shark Tank
Since appearing on Shark Tank, the company is still thriving and continues to adopt a direct-to-consumer business model. Although they chose Cuban, Robert would be a better partner because Mark’s portfolio is too large to give these people much time.
The truffle company is now in 75% of Whole Foods stores. Those interested can buy their products online on Amazon and at TruffleShufflesf.com.
Truffle Shuffle has built a strong community with its ongoing virtual cooking classes. They have a 4.9-star rating on Facebook from 144 reviews. Truffle Shuffle hasn’t released any recent sales figures, but annual revenue should be around $3-4 million. The company is currently valued at $6 million and has 26 employees.
Categories: Shark Tank
Source: svlsf.edu.vn