The Startup CPG Podcast

Mafe:
It's always great to apply for any opportunity that might come your way. Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. Knock on every door and try to get your foot on the door because you don't know where it might get you.

Coco:
You need to understand what you're getting in return. It's their knowledge and their experience, a very difficult way to value that.

Jessi:
Welcome to the Startup CPG Podcast. I'm your host, Jessi Freitag. You know what that sound means? We had another member of the Startup CPG community on Shark Tank, and this time, it was previous podcast guests, Mafe Romer and Coco Cabezas from Toast It. They join us today to tell us all the details about their Season 15, Episode 2 episode of Shark Tank that aired recently on October 6th. Toast It makes delicious Latin staples, including arepas that toast up to perfection in under 10 minutes. When Coco and Mafe were on the show back in June 2022, we talked more about their backgrounds, origin story, how they got into Publix, and more. So I've linked that episode in the show notes as well. Listen in today as Mafe and Coco share about the application process to Shark Tank and behind the scenes of taping the show, what it was like to negotiate live with deals on the table from Kevin O'Leary and Daniel Lubezki and why they went with the $150,000 investment for 20% equity with Daniel, How they prepped for the airing of the show, and the story of Mafe being 5 months pregnant while taping the show and then welcoming her baby the same week the episode aired. The consumer and retailer response to the episode airing. Their tips for brands interested in being on Shark Tank or who are pitching to the Sharks soon. And more. I also wanted to let you know that this is the last episode of season three. Feel free to skip ahead 30 seconds to get right to the interview, but I wanted to say thank you for those of you that have joined me as listeners, guests, and supporters for season three of the show over the past two plus years. It means the world to me, and it's been an honor to be your host. Season four starts next week with your new host, Daniel Scharff, the founder of Startup CPG. So stay tuned. Now let's hear from Coco and Mafe. Hi, Coco. Hi, Mafe. Welcome back to the show today. How are you both?

Coco:
Hi, Jessi. Thanks for having us again. We're doing great.

Mafe:
Hi, Jessi. So good to see you. You look great. The weather seems to be better where you are than where we are, which is crazy because we're in Miami. That's amazing. It looks amazing.

Jessi:
A lot of sunlight. Yes, I'm in full sun today, which we got to soak up here in in Western Oregon. So yeah, it's just it's so good to have you both back. The last time you were both on the show was June 2022, which is wild. So I'd love to start out with each of you for those that may not have listened to your episode before, which I definitely encourage them to do. But I'd like to just introduce each of you to just share kind of your name and title. And then if one of you could share a little bit about Toast It, that would be awesome.

Mafe:
Of course, I'll start. So my name is Mafe, short for Maria Fernanda. I'm one of the co-founders and CEO of Toasted. And my sister here will introduce herself, but I just want to mention that we're Venezuelan sisters. We moved to the States about eight years ago, had a stint in corporate, so worked corporate careers, and then started Toasted about three and a half years ago. And I'll leave it to my sister to introduce herself.

Coco:
Hi, everybody. I'm Coco, short for Maria Corina. I, like my sister, I'm from Caracas, Venezuela, and I moved here nine years ago to Miami. I went to school here at the University of Miami, and I'm still here working here. I founded Toast It with my company and very happily living here in Miami.

Jessi:
Amazing. And can you tell us a little bit about the Toast It product? I think you have even more products than when you were first on the show, but walk us through your main product line and give us a little bit of description of the products.

Mafe:
We basically started the company with two skews, our original arepas skew and our chia flaxseed arepas skew. It all started from our own personal need for arepas, basically, which we grew up eating every day back home in Venezuela. And when we moved to the States, we were kind of missing a little bit of that part of our culture and had a lot of nostalgia for the food that we grew up eating. So we wanted to create something that was super convenient and that tasted as good as the arepas we grew up eating. So staying really true to the recipes that our abuelas and our moms used to make while being really convenient and being available in retail. Those are the two skews that we first came up with. The original arepa is a traditional arepa recipe that most people consume in South and Central America. The one with chia and flaxseeds has chia and flaxseeds for a little kick of fiber. And then we created two additional skews late last year, a cassava arepa. Cassava is such a great ingredient, so popular these days, and it's also great because it's grain-free, and our pan de bono bites. Pan de bonos are very similar to the Brazilian pão de queijo. They're little cassava and cheese bread bites that you can eat throughout the day as a snack or as a side to a dish. And they're great because they're made with a lot of really great and top-shelf ingredients like tapioca flour, South American white cheese, and the first sugar-free pan de bonos in the market.

Jessi:
Wow. Oh, that's incredible. All your products are gluten free as well, right?

Coco:
Yeah, all of them are gluten free, but they're also preservative free, not free and made with great ingredients.

Jessi:
And are you still in the frozen section? We are. Yes. Awesome. When I tried the products in the past, like they're just so incredible. You know, being gluten free household, we love being able to just like grab them out of the freezer, heat them up so fast and you can make just the most delicious snack or meal or I love your products. And so it's so exciting to see that you've added even more. And today we're going to talk a lot about your Shark Tank experience, which is so exciting that you were on Shark Tank. I loved watching your episode. But because it's been a while since you've been on the show, before we dig into Shark Tank, I do just kind of want to get a little bit of a, you know, a business update. How many stores are you in now? What are your major retailers? You know, just a little update on on where you're at right now would be great.

Mafe:
Yeah, I'll give a little update. So since last time we spoke to each other, we've added a few other retailers like Walmart. So we were very lucky. We attended a Walmart open call event last year, which was in June of last year, actually. And it was such a great event where thousands of entrepreneurs came to pitch their products, talk to the buyers and, you know, hopefully get a deal. It's an event where you can get a deal on the site or later if they do, you know, follow-ups and the buyer seems interested in your products. We were actually lucky enough to get a deal on site at the event. They call it a golden ticket, which gives you immediate placement in Walmart stores. It was a great experience. And then this year we also included or gained distribution at Whole Foods stores. in Florida and Winn-Dixie, which is part of the Southeastern Grocers.

Jessi:
And I believe you're already in a lot of Publix locations as well, right? If not all?

Mafe:
Yes, a good portion of Publix stores in the Southeast, which was actually one of our, it was the first big retailer that gave us placement. So we are incredibly grateful to the Publix team and it's such a great company. A lot of great people work there, but also, you know, super grateful that they gave us this amazing opportunity.

Jessi:
Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. And have you added to your team?

Coco:
Yes, we have added two people to our team. We have Puchi, who helps us with everything, social media, marketing, influencer campaigns. And then we have Andreina, who works in all the supply chain part in logistics. They're both women and Venezuelan, so we're very happy to be an all women and Latina team.

Jessi:
Oh, awesome. I'm excited to hear how the team and everything prepped for Shark Tank. But first, to start us off down that area, I'm curious about, you know, when did you apply for Shark Tank? Can you tell us a little bit about the application process? What was it like to kind of start going down that pathway?

Mafe:
I think you're going to find this very funny, but I think it was someone from Startup CPG that posted on the Slack channel that, you know, applications for Shark Tank were open and shared the link. It was something that was always on the top of our minds, of course, because we've been big fans of the program for such a long time. But of course, when someone shared the link, it was like, well, this is a great opportunity. Maybe we weren't like entirely caught up with the, you know, application date. So we took the opportunity and applied. without having too many expectations, I would like to say, because of course, you know, thousands of people apply, lots of really great entrepreneurs and products. So we just applied with being big fans of the show with zero expectations, to be honest.

Jessi:
Yeah. Wow. What does it look like to go through the rounds? Like, I believe there's kind of the different rounds before you get told that they're going to do a taping. So what did those parts look like? And was there anything that surprised you or, you know, that you had to work through to make sure that you're putting together a good application and good information at each different stage?

Coco:
Yeah, it was a very exciting process, to be honest. And even though they're very selective, they make sure to support you in every step of the way. The producers are amazing and they prepare you in a way since day one to what will actually happen. I mean, just a lot of preparation being But fans of the show, I think, made it easy because we knew what they were looking for in the show. And we, not easy, but in a way we knew what to expect and little by little got into the application process. And in the end, when we got the news that we were going to go, we just couldn't believe it, honestly.

Mafe:
I'd just like to add that, of course, there's a lot of paperwork involved, but it is an enjoyable process. Like my sister said, the producers are great in guiding you through the way and in terms of which elements of your story or your business to highlight in order to, you know, keep going through the different steps of the process and the application process. To my sister's point, I think we weren't playing with a lot of expectation. We were just sort of enjoying the process and sharing our genuine story and what we were doing. And I think that's ultimately what helped us gain a seat at the table, which was being very genuine and sharing our authentic story and what we were trying to create.

Jessi:
Right. So when did the episode tape compared to when it aired?

Coco:
We actually taped back in July of 2023, so this year, and it aired in October 6 of 2023, so three months before.

Mafe:
Yeah, I was actually five months pregnant by the time we taped the show, which I mentioned on the show, and the episode aired very very close the same week that I gave birth, actually. You can imagine how nerve-wracking it all was, but my husband always says to me, be careful what you wish for because you might just get it in the same week.

Jessi:
Wow. Yeah, that had to have been the most wild week I can't even imagine, but that's very cool that your baby was on national television with you in the tank. She's famous already. So what did it look like to prep for the pitch? I assume you worked with the producers. And at what point did they let you know that Daniel Lubecki was going to be one of the Sharks? Because I believe from listening to other interviews, you were excited to pitch to him. So I'm wondering at what point you found out that he was going to be one of the guest Sharks and what it looks like to prep for the pitch.

Coco:
So we found out he was going to be a guest Shark only I think it was a week before. we went to record. It came to us as a surprise because, again, he's a guest shark and he's not always there. But it was great news for us because we are fans of Daniel. We love everything he's done. He's an immigrant like us, so we connect with him a lot in that sense. And he founded a new category from scratch with Kind. He has a lot of industry experience, so we knew he would be the best shark for us. And we had this unique opportunity to present the brand to him. And well, if you watch the show, it turned out great.

Mafe:
Yes, of course. Just to add to that, we watch the show a lot. So we did a lot of prepping in advance without knowing about any guest sharks. Just, you know, making huge lists of regular questions that get asked on the show and what our answers would be. And then a few days before the taping, we found out that Daniel was going. We were both super excited. And, you know, prepared some questions more tailored to his businesses or any overlaps that we might have. And that's how it all went.

Jessi:
And what was the experience of actually being in the tank when we had Sandra from Nopalera on the show? She was like, it was so eerily quiet. And so I'm curious about like, what was it like stepping into the tank with, you know, no music like there is on TV? What was that experience like walking in the room and seeing the sharks there?

Mafe:
So it's funny because I think it was one of the best experiences of my life, but it is very nerve wracking, I must say. When it comes to my sister and I, she seemed very calm the entire morning before pitching. She was like super chill, you know, drinking coffee and making small chit chat with other entrepreneurs. I was super, super nervous, but not saying anything because I didn't want to make her nervous and contaminate her with my nervousness. So Yeah, it was very nerve-wracking and, of course, intimidating because you go in there, it's a huge, huge stage, of course, with a lot of people working there and the sharks in general are intimidating because they're such, you know, accomplished and successful people. But, you know, I think for both of us, when we were actually pitching and just talking about the company and just, you know, it was showtime, I think we both enjoyed the experience so much because, of course, you know your company very well and it just starts you know, being a conversation and getting real time feedback from the sharks is also such a great experience. It's such a great opportunity.

Coco:
I just remember the moment that you're going to walk into that hallway. We were just like standing next to each other and the person outside just waiting to tell us, like, go. And that was honestly the most nerve wracking moment of my life. But then we'll open and you just walk. Then, I mean, the pitch part, it's difficult. But then just right after that, it felt very fun, very natural. We enjoyed it. The sharks, thankfully, were super nice to us. They just make questions and they weren't mean at all. So we got to enjoy it a lot. It was a once in a lifetime experience. So much fun.

Jessi:
The first like two minute pitch, that is all rehearsed, right? Because that has to be approved by the producers. How much did you rehearse that pitch to be ready to give it? And what was that like crafting that pitch really to make sure that you were really happy with it?

Mafe:
Well, yeah, we took some time with the pitch. Of course, it's all written by us. one really helps us is just us making sure you're really communicating the bright spots of your story, your product, your value proposition, all of that and still make it under a minute and make it really, you know, attention catching and fun. But yeah, I mean, in terms of rehearsing, I can't tell you how much we we said the pitch. I think we practiced it with family, friends. We even got in on a little stage in a restaurant here in Miami to practice it on a real stage. At some point, my sister even lost her voice for how many times we practiced the pitch. And then at that point, we had to stop because we needed our voices for the taping. But yeah, we just wanted to make sure we were super prepared because it's just one time and you have to get it right. It's not something that gets edited or anything. So you just have one shot and you have to do it right.

Jessi:
Wow. I'm also curious about the moment of when you have, so you had two deals on the table. You had two sharks offer you a deal, one from Daniel Lubezki, one from Kevin, I believe. Yes. What was that moment like of having two offers? Or I know that it gets cut for TV, but you know, what, what was those moments like for you to, to kind of consider and decide what to go with? You went in excited about Daniel, but I'm curious when you have two in front of you, you know, what was your thought process?

Coco:
Yeah, it'll be difficult to describe it because it all happens so fast that you don't really have a lot of time to go through all the logic of it. But we had thought about it a lot before. We had prepared a lot. We knew the shark we wanted. We knew our numbers very well. And at the end of the day, it just came down to getting the best possible deal in the moment. And it was very difficult. If you watch the show, we were even talking amongst us, trying to get the numbers right and everything. But in the end, it worked out well. We were very happy with the outcome. And yeah, anything else you want to say, Mafé?

Mafe:
Yeah, I think my train of thought, to be honest, is I try to think of what's the worst possible scenario that can happen in my head, which was, you know, not getting a deal and how we would react to that and prepare. So in my case, it was like, Just having one deal was such an amazing opportunity for us and having such great feedback and positive reinforcement from the Sharks just felt like an amazing opportunity and just a great outcome in general. So when we had two offers on the table, you know, even better, I was feeling so happy. We admire both of them so much and just having Daniel getting on the table and the negotiating table and offering us a deal, knowing that we wanted to get a deal from him was Of course, the best possible outcome and we were ecstatic about it.

Jessi:
Yeah, that's awesome. Was it also difficult to decide what your opening offer was going to be for the shark? Had you been working with, you know, attorneys or anything on your fundraise? I'm curious about how you kind of decided what to pitch.

Mafe:
Yeah, I think what I would advise if anyone's applying is just knowing your numbers well. What's typical in evaluation for a company in the industry that you're in, which, you know, it all comes down to multiples and the multiples vary, you know, industry to industry and how it gets calculated, right? If it's revenue based or if it's profit based. And you can work with that with a finance person if you're not a finance person. But ultimately, being smart in how you present your company and not go overboard and try to have a huge valuation because the sharks are very shrewd, they're very smart. And if you try to come up with a valuation that is crazy for your business, they're going to immediately call you out for it. So say something that makes sense, of course, and I think that's how we handle it.

Coco:
All I would add to that is that everyone needs to understand that getting a deal with the shark, it's not any type of investors, they're sharks, so they're gonna get a discount. And if you're not looking for that, or you're not looking for that type of deal, then Shark Tank maybe is not even for you. Because yeah, most if you watch the show, you see that most of the deal get a huge discount. And you need to understand that what you're getting in return, it's their knowledge and their experience. And that has a very difficult way to value that.

Jessi:
Right. Yeah, that's that's helpful to hear about the thought process. And then I'm curious about prepping for the show itself to air from a business standpoint. You know, when did you find out that it was going to air? I believe people that have been on Shark Tank that we've had on the podcast that it's not guaranteed that you're going to air even when they say we're going to air on this day. So I'm curious about like when you found out like, OK, you should be airing like what did what did that process look like? How long did you have to prep from a business standpoint?

Mafe:
Yes, they don't give you a lot of time. It's only a few days that they give you in advance. And they tell you, you know, that your episode is going to air and there's never 100% guarantee that you'll actually air. So can't imagine that you have to work with really tight schedules and work in a really agile way and work very fast in preparing for what's coming from a business standpoint. I think for us, it was key to start preparing in advance even without getting a notification that our episode was airing in terms of what were the triggers that we needed to pull in case someone called us and saying that the episode was actually going to air. What were the different points that we needed to prepare in ahead to just be able to, you know, call whoever we needed to call and pull the triggers really quickly. So any prep work that you might be able to do before, I would advise people to do that. And then once we actually got the call, you know, of course, You need to work a lot around inventory and demand planning, working with, you know, a co-packer, if you have a co-packer, a 3PL to make sure, you know, they're prepared and they can handle the added demand and any, you know, channels that you sell through. For example, in our case, we sell a lot through our retail channel. So making sure the stores had ample inventory to work with because people were going to look for the product in stores. And as well as for e-commerce orders, making sure the 3PL had the capacity to handle the increase in demand. Right.

Jessi:
Yeah. Of all of those pieces, is there anything that you were like, I'm so glad that we did this in advance? Or was there something that you're like, this would have been really helpful if we had done this piece in advance of the show? Curious if there's anything in there that comes to mind.

Coco:
Definitely from the, in our case, because Mafé was very pregnant, we made sure to prepare everything regarding social media and our marketing strategy beforehand so that you didn't have to do as much while on those last weeks. And also in terms of demand, I think we prepared very well, making sure that our co-packer was prepared. Because imagine that you get this opportunity and then you come back to your co-packer and you're unable to produce enough. So you lose this opportunity to sell a lot of product because of not preparing. I guess those two points are really important.

Mafe:
Yeah, and the other point, you know, just digging in more into the social media aspect, making sure you take enough advantage of the exposure. So my sister's actually, you know, in charge of our social media channels and all PR opportunity so she was very adamant and we're very careful about crafting a really good landing page for both our website and our social media channels to make sure you know our value proposition, our products, where you could find us, all of that information was readily available and really easily found because there are a lot of new eyes watching you during those days and we wanted to make sure all the information was very easy to find and we could convert those added users or viewers to buy product. So I would say, yes, prepare and curate your social media and your website and create really fun and genuine content around Shark Tank and around your experience just to see if any of that content could go viral, which was the case for us. So I think that that really helped us ultimately.

Jessi:
Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. And it sounds like on the demand planning side that you felt like you felt prepared. Did you interview other brands beforehand to help plan from a forecasting perspective? Or did the producers give you any tips? How did you decide how many orders to prep? Because I know it can vary pretty widely between brands on what to prepare for. So I'm curious how you decided on what numbers to prep for.

Coco:
That was actually one of the things that the Camino team helped us with. They had had previous deals on the Shark Tank before, so they kind of guide us. Obviously, as you said, it varies a lot. So we didn't want to buy so much inventory that we could not sell, but we felt confident with the plan and it was very close to what we expected, honestly.

Jessi:
Yeah, that's really great for listeners that might not be familiar. Camino Partners is the investing entity that Daniel Lubetzky invests through when he makes investments on Shark Tanks. And then they do other investments as well, like Somos that we've had on the show is also funded by Camino Partners. So that's great that they were involved, you know, from the time of taping up until airing to give some at least guidance on those pieces.

Mafe:
Yeah, they have been a great partner and that wasn't the only, you know, aspect. They were helping us through the way, but they have been great partners and in other aspects as well.

Jessi:
Yeah. Did they give any tips on making the most of the publicity or anything else that you, you already mentioned some great tips, but I'm curious if there's anything else that they shared that was really helpful.

Mafe:
Yeah, I think was, you know, around social media and making sure we were communicating our authentic and genuine story, what the experience was like, because people love to hear about, you know, the back end and what the experience was like for you, and sharing that experience from a very personal level. Also, in our case, it was so crazy, the story that I was pregnant and giving birth the same week that our episode was airing. So we made sure we shared our authentic, genuine story about how it all went and how crazy it was for us. And I think that's what people empathize with. And yeah, pretty much what we just shared around social media and curating your story.

Jessi:
Yeah, that's really great. Are you able to share the kind of percent increase that you saw in sales after airing and kind of how long of lift did you get? What was the response at retail that you had prepped for? What kind of increase did you see as a result of the show airing?

Mafe:
Yeah, so it was a significant increase. To my sister's point, we were able to prep very well. And thankfully, you know, what we prepared was very true or very close to the lift that we ended up seeing, thankfully. But yeah, we've seen increases in our e-commerce channel upwards of 10,000% and increase in demand on our retail channels upwards of 100%. So pretty significant. It's of course a great opportunity for any business, especially a consumer business, to gain awareness. It really translates into your numbers.

Coco:
And we're still seeing the full effect of this. It was only a month ago. I think it's still pretty early. Some of those customers might have not had the chance to try it yet. So we're excited for the exposure it's going to give us in the long term. And just working with Camino and their team also brings a lot of opportunities to the business that have us more excited about.

Jessi:
Right. Yeah. It's so interesting. You used to kind of get the one, it might last some, but you get the one day sales month because it was just on national TV. But now with adding Hulu, you might have people continuing to watch it in the weeks. Like they might not even have watched it yet. And then they're watching it on Hulu and then going to your website. So that's really exciting. And hopefully you get some re-airs and continue to get more, more bumps and more exposure.

Mafe:
Yeah, that's exactly right. And I actually read the other day that it's one of the most rewatched shows in the US. So that's, you know, to your point before, it's a great opportunity, not even when it airs, but you know, the subsequent exposure and value that it adds to the businesses that are able to be there.

Jessi:
Yeah, for sure. And what has the follow up been? Have you been on calls with Daniel Lubezki? It sounds like you've talked with the Camino team. I'm curious about what the follow up kind of looked after you make a deal on the on the show on TV, what the follow up looks like of due diligence and what that process has been like.

Coco:
Yeah, so we are very close to finalizing our deal. It's a long process. Everyone knows that you go through due diligence with them, but they have been amazing. We were very excited. They've already been supporting us in many ways. So we're very excited to finalize this deal and continue working with them.

Jessi:
Yeah, that's awesome. Do you have any tips for brands, whether they're going through due diligence because of Shark Tank or going through due diligence just as part of normal fundraising, any tips for things that you found helpful that you prepped for on a due diligence side or that you wish you'd prepped for just to make the process smoother?

Mafe:
Yeah, I think I would recommend to have all the information readily available and very organized. In data rooms, for example, is a good way to store all of your information, making sure you know, everything is as prepared and as clean as possible because you never know when a major investor or an investor that you really want to work with is interested in your business and you want to be able to move quickly and have all the information as clean and as readily available as possible. So that's one thing that has helped us a lot is having a data room with different folders around finance and, you know, business models and marketing information, business plans, et cetera, just so that you're able to quickly shift and share that information with potential investors.

Jessi:
Yeah. Awesome. What was it like watching your episode? You had memories that expanded beyond what was clipped for TV, but what was the experience like just watching it? Did you watch with friends or family or your team? Or I know Mafe, you were, you were delivering your baby as well, but when, when you got to watch the show, like what was that experience like seeing that?

Mafe:
It was a very crazy experience. When I actually got to watch the show, we were with friends and family. And it was a very out-of-body experience, to be honest, because at the time you're with people that you really love and they're telling you that you did great and they're, you know, expressing their genuine reactions to the show and what they enjoyed and whatnot. I think a couple of hours later when you rewatch is when you actually have your own reactions. We thought it was going to be cringy, to be honest, because a lot of people find it cringy to watch yourself on TV or listen to yourself, even like on a voice note. But I actually really enjoyed it. I think it wasn't cringy at all. I think we were lucky enough that the Sharks were really great to us. They weren't mean at all. And I think we did a good job in presenting our business and what we were trying to create. So I really enjoyed it. It wasn't cringy. You just focus on small details, I guess, about something that you might have wanted said in a different way or better, even for us because English is our second language. Overall, I really enjoyed it. How about you, Coco?

Coco:
To me, I don't know. I think I was so nervous by watching it for the first time. You remember it in a way and then In reality, it's an edit, so it turns out being a little bit different, but I did enjoy it so much. I felt it was a fun episode. I laughed at times. I enjoyed it as if it wasn't me, honestly, the first time I watched it. But yeah, I haven't seen it that many times after it. It was so crazy, all the attention you get. You have to remember that we are not famous people or influencers or any of that. So getting all that attention feels a little bit weird the first days. But overall, I'm really happy and so thankful for everything, how it turned out.

Jessi:
That's amazing. I'm glad that you both had a good experience watching it. I mean, watching the episode, like I just was blown away. I knew that you both would be incredible, but I thought it was great. And I just felt proud to have interviewed you previously. And just it was so exciting. So I'm glad that you both had such a good experience watching it because it's such a good episode. I'll make sure to, you know, link it and make sure that people know which one to watch so that our listeners can watch it if they haven't yet, because it's just so fun. So that's that's really cool. Thank you, Jessi.

Mafe:
Thank you so much for the support, Jesse. Thank you.

Jessi:
Is there anything else that you wanted to share about the experience on Shark Tank that we haven't covered or any tips or insights? I wanted to make sure that you had had a moment if there's anything else we haven't talked about yet.

Mafe:
I think I would just like to add that it's always great to apply for any opportunity that might come your way. You know, in our case, we didn't have a lot of expectation. We didn't really think we were going to be selected. We just applied because you know why not and be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. Knock on every door and try to get your food on the door because you don't know where it might get you. I know it sounds like a cliche but it's actually right and it has proven right for us in our business. We knock many doors as we can. And it has taken us to places where we never even dreamed of that we would be able to get. And just, you know, I guess to close, I would like to invite your listeners to take a look at our website and take a look at our story. And if they want to try our products, they can always go to our website. Our Instagram is

Coco:
at Toast It Foods for anyone interested. We share delicious recipes and fun stories about us going to shorting and about our lives. So I invite everyone to follow us.

Jessi:
Yes, that's a great note to end on. And yeah, your Instagram is so fun. I love following you. I love your videos. I love your recipe tips. So definitely I'll make sure I'll make sure Instagram's in the show notes. And then your website is Toast It foods.com so you can go to the website, check out their products, order online, or find a store that's near you. I'm curious, is there anything else that's coming up for Toast It that we should be watching for or, you know, keeping our eyes peeled? Any new things coming that you can share about?

Coco:
Yes, we have a very exciting new product coming up sometime early next year. And we can't say much, but we can say that it has plantain and it's so delicious.

Jessi:
Ooh, I'm so excited to stay tuned for that. You know, are you planning to continue to focus on retail and some e-commerce or what's kind of your your continued growth map? At least you're planning right now.

Mafe:
Yes. So we want to continue focusing on growing our retail footprint. We're very heavily focused on the southeast currently, but there are, of course, other regions where our target demographic and our perfect consumer is from a regional standpoint. So we want to expand our retail footprint to those regions and continue creating products that we haven't seen in the market that are really innovative, you know, that are really stay true to our roots, to our Latin American roots, bringing products that, you know, give us a lot of nostalgia and stay true to the authentic recipes that we grew up eating.

Jessi:
Whenever you make it to Oregon, you've got a lifetime merchandiser for the Portland stores. Whenever, whenever you make it here, I'll be, I'll be ready. But for now, I'll order online.

Mafe:
You're great, Jessie. Thank you so much. And as soon as we launch the new products, we'll make sure to send you some.

Jessi:
Amazing. Well, thank you both for coming on the show today and sharing about your experience. Our audience loves hearing about Shark Tank, and it's just so fun to have been able to have you back and get to hear an update and catch up with you both. So thank you so much for the time and for sharing with us. I really, really appreciate it. Thank you, Jessie.

Mafe:
You are the best. Thank you. It was such a fun episode. We really enjoyed talking to you and thanks again for giving us the opportunity.

Jessi:
Thank you for listening in to the final episode of Season 3. I'm Jessi Freitag, and I've been your host and producer. As I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, Season 4 starts next week, so you will not miss a beat. But this is my final episode as your host. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, as I'd love to stay in touch. I'll be continuing my primary work in CPG operations and with helping small brands and individuals with tools like Notion. If you have any ideas for season four, please reach out to podcast at startupcpg.com. Also special thanks to our podcast assistant, Stephanie Roberts, who has done incredible work for the show. Make sure to join the Startup CPG Slack if you haven't already. I'll definitely still be around there. And there's tons of other free resources at startupcpg.com. Our intro and outro music for today's episode is by the Super Fantastics, the band of our Startup CPG founder and your new podcast host, Daniel Scharff. On behalf of the whole team at Startup CPG, thank you so much for being here and stay tuned for season four starting next week.