Zookies Cookies
Zookies Cookies is a novel cookie company from Raleigh, NC that makes bake at home cookies without added sugar or preservatives.
When passing out samples for the sharks to sample, Robert finds that he isn't a fan. It's then that they reveal that he's just taken a bite out of a bake at home dog biscuit and not a cookie for humans. However, they can be eaten by people, which was part of the point of the demonstration.
All of their cookies are vegan[1]. Making them is as simple as pouring the mix into a bowl, adding water, stirring, baking for thirty-minutes, and done! Masters can now eat the same dog food as their pets!
When questioned about why someone would want to bake their own treats instead of, you know, buying a box, the entrepreneurs behind Zookies Cookies state that it's "about the experience" of making treats for your pet.
Jars of the "cookie" mix retail for $9.99 or in three-packs at $24.99 and cost under $2 per unit to manufacture. In the past nine-months, Zookies Cookies has made $40,000 in sales, mostly online and with minimal retail testing. Most of the company's customers are acquired through direct marketing on Facebook or Instagram.
The entrepreneurs believes that the company can bring in revenue in the mid-six-figures alone as a giftable product.
The entrepreneurs would use the $50,000 investment to expand into more pet stores, to better target social channels, and to adjust packaging based on feedback.
This deal aired on Episode 10.14.
Making A Deal
Lori seemed to have liked the product but saw it as something families might do once or twice a year, not weekly as she believed was necessary, and declined to make an offer.
Robert mentions his investment in Pupbox[2] and that he even likes the idea but that he just doesn't think that people will end up baking for their dogs.
Guest shark Alli Webb says that she thinks people are obsessed with the dogs and will probably do anything. For this, she makes an offer of $50,000 for 30%, 10% over the original equity on offer.
Mr. Wonderful states that he thinks it a very dumb idea but that he likes the entrepreneurs and offers 33% in return for the $50,000 so as to be an equal partner with the entrepreneurs.
Mark exists the deal claiming that he just doesn't understand the word "bake".
In the end, the entrepreneurs choose Alli Webb. She asked for 10% more equity than they had originally offered but her bite of $83,333 probably looked more reasonable than bringing on Mr. Wonderful as an equal partner.
Updates
In the fifth episode of Season Eleven, we got an update on Zookies Cookies. The entrepreneurs stated that they were now in all seventeen Healthy Spot locations. They had also re-designed their packages so that it "pops" more on the shelves (although to your Stats Shark, it really just kinda looks like hair gel can...) As they said in their pitch, before appearing in the tank they had done $40,000 in sales. In just the four months since making the deal, they've now had $124,000 in sales.
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