In Season 11 of Shark Tank, the sharks were introduced to Fried Green Tomatoes. The entrepreneur behind the product, Holly Cooper, was seeking a $ 200,000 investment in exchange for a 15% stake in their company. She was beyond happy when she received an investment from Barbara Corcoran for the full amount but with 30% equity. But what happened to Fried Green Tomatoes after Shark Tank? As we all sadly know, an investment equals success. Keep reading to find out!
History of the Founders
Americans are known for their fried food obsession. With fast-food chains on every corner, it’s no wonder that fried foods have become a staple in the American diet. But friend food has some prominent negative connotations. It’s often greasy, unhealthy, and calorie-packed.
Enter Fried Green Tomatoes.
While still fried, fried green tomatoes are a healthier alternative to other fried foods. They’re lower in calories and fat, and the green tomatoes themselves are packed with nutrients like Vitamin C and lycopene.
Her usual working day goes like this: she takes her food truck and drives around the Southern United States, selling her food, usually at festivals. There, she sets up her fryer and cooks her fried green tomatoes to perfection. People line up to buy them, and they always leave satisfied.
The main reason her fried green tomatoes and other food items were so popular was the fried batter and her super secret “sauce” recipe. She didn’t want to give away her recipe, but she did want to get her product in front of as many people as possible. So she started packing both the batter and sauce mix into small bags and selling them along with the food.
While she sells her food only from the food truck, you can purchase her sauce and batter mixes either from online websites or in some stores.
The main reason Holly decided to appear on Shark Tank was to get a deal with one of the sharks so she could bring her product to a bigger audience. With her truck, she could only cover the Southern United States, but with the help of a shark, she could potentially go nationwide.
But her biggest goal by far is to franchise her food truck business. She eventually wants to have a fleet of trucks or food places all across the country, bringing her delicious fried green tomatoes to everyone! [1] [2] [3]
Fried Green Tomatoes at Shark Tank
Holly appeared at the show in the 11th Season and she pitched her company in front of the Sharks. She started her presentation by asking for a $ 200,000 investment in return for a 15% equity stake in her company.
She told the Sharks her story and gave out some samples of her products. Sharks enjoyed the product very much!
Then she goes on to tell how much money she makes. For a big event, she earns around $ 600-800 per hour. She then states that her net profit for the year 2018 was $ 268,000. Unfortunately, these numbers do not impress the Sharks very much. Holly tells them that she also sells her sauce and batter online and plans to buy another truck, this time for daily sales.
Barbara jumps in and offers Holly a deal right away! She had a similar experience with a smaller food business like Cousins Maine Lobster and knows how difficult it is to get started. Still, she managed to bring them to success and she thinks she can do the same for Holly. Barbara offers $ 200,000 for a 30% stake in Holly’s company.
Holly wavers for a bit, unsure if she wants to give up that much equity. But then Mark steps in and suggests she should accept the offer because it is a very good one. Daymond decides to make a deal himself and offers the same amount of money for a 25% stake. But Holly still goes with Barbara’s deal because she heard many good things about the success story of Cousins Maine Lobster. [2] [3]
Fried Green Tomatoes After Shark Tank
So how far did Holly’s success story go after her Shark Tank episode? In short, it was a pretty wild ride. After appearing on Shark Tank, Holly’s company experienced a huge boost in popularity. People were interested in her story and loved her product. Well, that’s given after making an appearance on such a popular show.
The great news is that Holly is still in business! She’s been able to maintain her company and keep things going strong. However, she’s faced some pretty big challenges along the way. The biggest one by far was the COVID pandemic.
During the total lockdown, there weren’t any festivals or events for Holly to sell her product at. This was a big problem because that was her main source of income. Luckily, she was able to pivot and turn things around. This was a huge challenge that she was able to overcome and it just goes to show how resilient she is. Since things have started to open back up, Holly is getting back out there and selling her product at festivals again. She’s also been working on some new ventures.
Sadly, as of writing this article, the deal with Barbara has never closed. However, she’s been doing just fine without it and has managed to build a successful company.
As far as we managed to find out, the annual earnings for Fried Green Tomatoes are less than 1 million. This number will likely go up in the future as Holly is always working on new and exciting things.
While you can find Holly’s sauce and batter in smaller stores, she still needs to make her way to the big retailers. She’s also yet to start franchising her business. This is something that she’s expressed interest in but hasn’t pulled the trigger on just yet. So far she’s mainly active in Tennessee and there are no dozens of trucks driving around promoting her product.
Holly managed to partner with Rest Stop Ministrie, a nonprofit organization that helps human trafficking victims. This is an amazing cause and we’re glad that she’s using her platform to help others. Good Hope Farms is the RMS’s social enterprise that focuses on economic empowerment by providing job opportunities and skills training to survivors of human trafficking. They also help Holly to distribute her products to different locations.
Fried Green Tomatoes is one of their main partners and provides them with the ingredients they need to make their products. This is an excellent partnership as it helps two amazing causes while also providing a delicious product.
As for the social media presence of Fried Green Tomatoes, it’s pretty good. They used to have an Instagram account but it’s inactive as of now. Their Facebook presence however is still going strong with over 8 thousand likes and a similar amount of followers.
On their page, they both tell the news about the recent happenings in the company as well as post pictures of their products. But most importantly, they notify their followers about the next stops of their food trucks. Overall, it seems like they’re doing pretty well and have a strong social media following.
Right now, you can purchase the foods Holly offers only by meeting the food truck. The good news is that there are many ways to do this. Just like we mentioned, if you live in or around Nashville, you can find their current location on Facebook. The menu offers meat burgers with a structure familiar to any southerner. And of course, the star of the show – the green fried tomatoes included in a burger too!
A catfish sandwich is another popular choice, as well as the onion rings served as an appetizer. The price is also very affordable, which is great news. Holly has always been consistent in her pricing and it seems like she won’t be changing that anytime soon. As for the taste, it’s pretty good! We tried it ourselves and can say that it’s definitely worth the price.
They’ve also started selling Fried Green Tomato Hats, which is a great way to promote their brand. The hats are available in khaki patterns and cost $ 20. Overall, it’s a great product and we’re sure that Holly will continue to sell a lot of them in the future.
As for the prices for the batter and sauce, they haven’t changed much since we last checked. A pack of sauce costs around $ 4 while the batter costs $ 10 for both pickles and fried tomatoes.
All in all, it’s been a pretty crazy ride for Holly and her company since appearing on Shark Tank. She’s faced some big challenges but has always managed to overcome them. We’re excited to see what the future holds for Fried Green Tomatoes! [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
FAQ
Did Holly from Fried Green Tomatoes get a deal?
Holly from Fried Green Tomatoes did get a deal with Barbara Corcoran on Shark Tank. The deal was $ 200,000 for a 30% stake in her company. Sadly it seems like the deal never was finished or went through.
Still, Holly was able to use her experience on the show to grow her business. After appearing on Shark Tank, she was able to get more exposure for her product.
What happened to Fried Green Tomatoes from Shark Tank?
After making an appearance in the 11th season of Shark Tank and securing an investment from Barbara Corcoran, Holly was set to work on growing their business. She can still be seen selling her product around the southeastern USA.
The company has partnered with Rest Stop Ministrie, an organization that provides support to the victims of sex trafficking. A portion of the proceeds from each sale is donated to help support this cause.
The annual earnings of Fried Green Tomatoes are less than a million but have continued to grow steadily over the years.
Are Fried Green Tomatoes still in business?
Yes! Holly and her food truck are still in business and serving up delicious fried green tomatoes and other Southern food to customers across the country. Many locals are excited to see Holly parking next to the festival or in their neighborhood. And while she won’t share the recipe, you can buy the infamous Holly’s sauce at the truck or online.
What did they cook in Fried Green Tomatoes?
Holly’s Fried Green Tomatoes food truck mainly specialized in Southern-style comfort foods. The menu included classic staples such as catfish sandwiches, fried shrimp, onion rings, and of course, fried green tomatoes. Customers could order their food “to-go” style or sit down and enjoy a meal at one of the picnic tables set up near the truck.
Useful Video: The Sharks Love The Southern Specialty from Fried Green Tomatoes
Conclusion
In Shark Tank’s Season 11, many viewers were charmed by the story of Holly Cooper, a passionate lady who owns a food truck called Fried Green Tomatoes out of their love for Southern food. She managed to get a deal with Barbara Corcoran, but sadly the deal has never closed.
But it didn’t stop Holly as she has continued to grow the food truck by expanding its menu and product offerings. She still mainly works in the Tennessee region and offers food to the festival attendees. You can also purchase her special sauce and batter online. While she’s yet to reach her main goals, she’s still doing exceptionally well.
So that’s everything we could find out about Fried Green Tomatoes after Shark Tank. Holly is still going strong and has managed to overcome some big challenges. She’s an amazing entrepreneur and we hope to see great things from her in the future. Thanks for reading!
References:
- https://www.sharktankblog.com/fried-green-tomatoes-secret-sauce/
- https://www.sharktankblog.com/business/fried-green-tomatoes/
- https://sharktankrecap.com/fried-green-tomatoes-update-shark-tank-season-11/
- https://www.mashed.com/951891/what-happened-to-fried-green-tomatoes-after-shark-tank/
- https://www.friedgreentomatoes.co/
- https://www.facebook.com/FriedGreenTomatoesTN/
