Whatever Happened To Burlap & Barrel After Shark Tank?
A trip down a spice aisle in a typical American grocery store can be an underwhelming experience. Even in a fresh bottle, spices can be dull and flavorless, and stores tend to stock the same selection of familiar flavors. Burlap & Barrel co-founder Ethan Frisch linked spice quality to larger issues of transparency, a parasitic supply chain, and a lack of empowerment for small farmers. If changes could be made to single-origin products like coffee and chocolate, why not spices?
Frisch has a background in cooking, a world he left behind to work as a humanitarian aid worker. While living in Afghanistan, Frisch tasted the best cumin he had ever had, and he stuffed his suitcase with the fresh seeds to bring back to friends in New York. To combine his professional interests and put money directly in farmers' pockets without a middleman, Frisch and his business partner Ori Zohar launched Burlap & Barrel in 2016.
"It's about highlighting a farmer's skill often honed over generations, to grow something that's absolutely exceptional and then just figuring out that last step of the supply chain," Frisch told CBS News. "The hard work is done before we show up."
Frisch and Zohar work directly with farmers around the world to introduce consumers to nigella seeds from Egypt, wild kelp from Iceland, and cardamom from Guatemala, among dozens of other spices and blends. In 2023, Frisch and Zohar pitched Burlap & Barrel on "Shark Tank."
Burlap & Barrel didn't spice up the tank
Burlap & Barrel's Season 14 episode of "Shark Tank" aired on April 7, 2023, and Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar impressed the investors — including guest Gwyneth Paltrow — with the vibrancy of their spices, as well as their numbers. Burlap & Barrel made $100,000 in sales in 2017, with that number jumping to $250,000 in its second year.
The pandemic ended up being a boon to the company, whose sales jumped up to $3 million in 2020 and $5.1 million in 2021 thanks to the necessity of at-home cooking. "In terms of expanding our business, COVID did for us what VC money does for other companies," Frisch told Fast Company.
Still, some venture capital money couldn't hurt, and Frisch and Zohar entered the tank seeking $500,000 for a 5% stake in Burlap & Barrel. During their episode, Barbara Corcoran can't wrap her head around the generous valuation, and she bows out. Mark Cuban and Lori Grenier admit that the business isn't in their wheelhouse, and they're out as well. Paltrow worries that Burlap & Barrel isn't big enough, having never heard of it herself.
That leaves Kevin O'Leary standing, and Frisch and Zohar pander to the royalty-obsessed Shark, proposing a royalty line of Mr. Wonderful-approved spices. After some hemming and hawing, the pair delivers a final counter-offer of $500,000 for 5% equity, a 20% royalty on O'Leary's personal line of spices, and a 10% royalty on affiliate sales. O'Leary wants a bigger piece of the pie and a royalty on every product, so he drops out, leaving Burlap & Barrel without a deal.
Burlap & Barrel anticipated the Shark Tank effect
When Ori Zohar and Ethan Frisch entered the tank, they were fully aware that even if they didn't reach a deal, the "Shark Tank" effect would cause a boom in sales. Ahead of the episode's premiere in April, Burlap & Barrel left a message to its Instagram followers. "We're expecting to be very, very busy for a few weeks after the show airs," the post read. "So if you need to restock or want to make sure we have your favorite spices in stock, place your order before April 7th."
Burlap & Barrel had another "Shark Tank" trick up its sleeve. After the episode aired, the company added a "Shark Tank" bundle to its website that comprises the four spices featured on the show: royal cinnamon, wild mountain cumin, black lime, and Zanzibar black peppercorns for $45.99. A seven-piece set also includes paprika, onion powder, and flowering hyssop thyme.
In an interview with Fast Company, Frisch and Zohar reflected on their "Shark Tank" experience, revealing that going on the show was Zohar's mother's idea. "We knew we had to make the most of our appearance, not only by pitching our business to the Sharks but also by pitching everyone watching at home on how better spices can fundamentally improve their day-to-day cooking," Frisch explained. "We had a blast sparring with the Sharks, and were thrilled to watch the thousands of orders roll in."
Burlap & Barrel is booming
Even before Burlap & Barrel went on "Shark Tank," the company had already received plenty of press and effusive praise, appearing in the pages of Bon Appétit, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, among other publications. Burlap & Barrel has continued its uphill climb in the back half of 2023 and earned a glowing review from Food & Wine.
On "Shark Tank," Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar spoke of their company's multiple collaborations with chefs and celebrities, noting that it is an effective form of customer acquisition. Those collaborations have continued in earnest, and since "Shark Tank," Burlap & Barrel has partnered with Cardoz Blended Gourmet, chef and "Chopped" judge Marc Murphy, and even the Los Angeles Times, to name just a few. The company has continued to source new products as well, including a black garlic powder from Guatemala and dried mint grown at the same farm in Uttar Pradesh, India, that supplies Dr. Bronner's.
Prices have remained the same as advertised on "Shark Tank." The typical Burlap & Barrel bottle costs $9.99, though some products are priced as low as $5.99. An extremely rare vanilla powder from the Peruvian Amazon, only available in limited quantities, is the company's most expensive offering at $49.99. Burlap & Barrel also sells discounted spice bundles.
What's next for Burlap & Barrel?
Burlap & Barrel may have struck out on "Shark Tank," but the company is showing no signs of slowing, even if the world is missing out on a Kevin O'Leary signature spice blend. (And what would that have looked like anyway? Fermented shark, perhaps? Or maybe a bespoke blend from farmers in his native Canada.) Burlap & Barrel even got a shout-out on the buzziest of all food shows, "The Bear," in which the company's bottles can be seen in the background of Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney's (Ayo Edebiri) home kitchens.
On the business end of things, Burlap & Barrel — primarily a direct-to-consumer brand — is still navigating the world of supermarkets. "It's like navigating an obstacle course because supermarkets and distributors seem to rely on fees and chargebacks to the brand to make their money," Zohar told Fast Company. This, he posits, is why big brands have held such a stranglehold over the spice industry.
In the interest of courting new customers, Burlap & Barrel isn't trying to win over Generation Z like other DTC brands. Instead, the company sees the value in middle-aged women — an underappreciated demographic with confidence in the kitchen and a willingness to try new flavors.
Burlap & Barrel has long held the belief that even staples can taste new and delicious, and in that spirit, the company has begun to explore different kinds of salt and sugar, including partnerships with maple producers in Vermont and jaggery producers in India.