Whatever Happened To Nature's Wild Berry After Shark Tank?
Season 14, Episode 21 of "Shark Tank" saw business partners Juliano Bonanni and Hank Watt pitch their product Nature's Wild Berry, which makes sour, fermented, tart, or pickled food taste sweet. Bonanni and Watt brought their berries to the Sharks seeking an $80,000 investment in exchange for a 15% stake in the company.
The pitch opens with a bit of theater as Watt takes a bite straight out of a lemon. However, instead of the expected sour flavor, Watt claims that the fruit tastes like candy, all because of Nature's Wild Berry. Bonanni similarly takes a large swig of apple cider vinegar, saying that the freeze-dried berries made the liquid taste like apple juice.
Marketed as a "miracle" food, Watt attributes the use of the berries to his 80-pound weight loss. Watts was nearly 240 pounds, at risk for diabetes, and was a self-described "emotional eater." At the time, Bonanni, a chef, was testing recipes with the berries, known as Ledidi Berries, and discovered that they made healthy foods taste sweet.
The company advertises the berries as a healthy alternative to sugar, as well as those living with type-2 diabetes. Some have also suggested the berries can be used by those undergoing chemotherapy, as the berries can improve the metallic taste often left in a patient's mouth from the treatment.
What's the trick behind these "miracle" berries? The answer is glycoprotein, which turns sour, acidic flavors sweet.
What happened to Nature's Wild Berry on Shark Tank?
As part of the pitch for Nature's Wild Berry, the sharks are provided a tasting platter of pickles, lemons, and extra tart cranberry juice to test the product themselves. Hank Watt and Juliano Bonanni explain that the berries should completely alter a person's tastebuds and that the effects last between 20 and 40 minutes. According to the sharks, the freeze-dried fruit makes the pickles taste sweet and the lemons taste like oranges.
Watt and Bonanni launched Nature's Wild Berry in 2016. Watt invested $120,000 out of pocket, while Bonanni invested about $20,000. At the time the episode aired, the partners' projected sales for 2023 would be $340,000 with a $50,000 profit.
Nature's Wild Berry garners offers from four of the five sharks. Kevin O'Leary makes an offer of $80,000 for a 33% stake in the company, plus a $5 royalty per unit sold. Daymond John offers $80,000 with 30% equity and no royalties. This leads to a counter-offer from O'Leary of $80,000, royalties, and a 20% stake. Lori Greiner counters with the same offer but with only a $3 royalty for every unit sold. Barbara Corcoran, however, chooses not to make an offer as it's "just too whacky" for her.
Ultimately, Watt and Bonanni agree to an offer of $80,000 for a 20% stake, with a $3 royalty per unit sold until the investment is paid back. The offer is split between two sharks, Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner, who have previously co-invested in food-related products like FryAway in Season 14.
Nature's Wild Berry After Shark Tank
After the episode aired, Nature's Wild Berry saw an almost immediate spike in sales, a phenomenon known as the "Shark Tank" effect. Nature's Wild Berry went from moving 40 units a day to 1,700, which marked about a 40% increase in sales. In an interview with Tasting Table in July, Hank Watt and Juliano Bonanni said they were completely unprepared for the influx of new customers and sold out of their entire stock within 10 minutes of appearing on television, resulting in a month-long back order on the product.
As for investors Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban, the two sharks shared a video of themselves promoting the product on Greiner's official TikTok account. However, the video was filmed on the "Shark Tank" set and was posted on May 6, the same day Watt and Bonanni's episode aired. It is not uncommon for "Shark Tank" investors to change or alter the terms of a deal once the cameras have stopped rolling. With that being said, neither Greiner nor Cuban have posted about Nature's Wild Berry on their social media accounts since the episode premiered.
Is Nature's Wild Berry still in business?
Based on Amazon reviews for Nature's Wild Berry, the company still appears to be in business as of the time of writing. Additionally, as of September 19, the official Instagram account was active. As for the company's other social media accounts, the X (formerly known as Twitter) account for the food company has not been updated since August 2020. The last original post made by Nature's Wild Berry on X was also shared on the company's Instagram. The video shows content creator Chrissy Marshall, a deaf creator and advocate, trying out Nature's Wild Berry products. The last post made on Nature's Wild Berry's X account is a retweet from June 2021.
At the time of writing, the official Nature's Wild Berry website claims to be fully in stock. Nature's Wild Berry currently offers six total products. The list includes a bag of 50 berries selling for $24.99, as well as the travel jar, which sells for $31.99 and contains 4.6 grams of berries. Also available for purchase is The Small Jar for $44.97, The Medium Jar for $107.99, The Large Jar for $159.97, and a single pack for $3.99.
What's next for Nature's Wild Berry's founders?
With a website advertising a full restock of its products, Nature's Wild Berry still appears to be going strong despite a lack of engagement from the company on social media. Founders Hank Watt and Juliano Bonanni have similarly not been active on social media. Watt's personal Instagram has not been updated since 2019, while Bonanni does not appear to have any social media at all. However, the chef-turned-co-CEO is the face of most of the videos shared on the company's official Instagram account. Watt's LinkedIn still lists him as a co-founder and owner of Nature's Wild Berry for his most recent work history.
As for what's next for Nature's Wild Berry and its founders after "Shark Tank," it appears that Watt and Bonanni's "miracle" food business has legs. With a unique product, strong reviews from customers, and a continued presence in the marketplace, it would appear that Nature's Wild Berry will have juice for the foreseeable future.