Coconut Girl’s journey after Shark Tank: Where the frozen dessert brand stands now

Shark Tank season 11, episode 14 featured the founder of the coconut Girl brand, Francheska “Frankie” Yamsuan, who was asking for an investment of $180,000 in return for 18% equity in her frozen dessert-based company.

Highlighting the vision and cause behind the start-up idea, Yamsuan said that she was looking for healthier options for her favourite foods, which led to her starting an ice cream brand.

She had also enrolled on a 30-day paleo challenge at her CrossFit gym in Los Angeles and gradually decided to buy an ice cream machine to make her own desserts.

Coconut Girl's pitch on Shark Tank impressed everyone

Yamsuan, who began her business by making date shakes, later transitioned into non-dairy ice cream cookie sandwiches.

The deserts were made using organic coconut milk, dates, honey, maple syrup, and sandwiched between almond-butter & almond-flour cookies.

There was no added sugar, and they were gluten-free and dairy-free, which was their unique selling proposition.

Firstly, sharing it with the CrossFit peers and coaches who began placing orders made her realise that her business idea is good and could thrive.

She signed up at The Art Institute of California-Los Angeles for a course and started full-time with her business.

During the pitch, she had three flavours: Beach Bum Maple, Aloha Chocolate, and Loose Vanilla / Hang Loose Vanilla.

Sales had grown from $60,000 to $120,000 year over year, with projections of $300,000 for that year.

The product was already stocked in 30 Whole Foods locations in Southern California and had plans to expand into other states (Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii). 

The cost to produce the sandwiches was about $1.00, with potential reductions to $0.50, and the cost price of one sandwich was $4.99 and $5.49, revealing a stellar profit margin. 

All the sharks liked the product in terms of taste, sales and profit margins, particularly Cuban, Lori Greiner, and Kevin O'Leary were all interested. 

Mark Cuban was particularly interested and was keen to invest, asking the founder to skip further negotiations and offering $180,000 for a 25% equity offer.

After a series of negotiations with other sharks, Cuban revised his offer and finalised it with $180,000 for a 20% equity with Yamsuan accepting the deal and shaking hands with Cuban.

What happened to the brand after Shark Tank?

The public streaming of the episode on Shark Tank gave a huge boost and publicity to the brand, known as the Shark Tank Effect, increasing the demand, sales, and investors.

The brand expanded its presence from 4 states to 25 states, including premium grocery chains such as Erewhon Natural Grocer and Bristol Farms.

The company rebranded itself to Coconut Girl Brand, making it a women-empowered business. The company’s annual revenue had reached about $1 million at that time, as per the Shark Tank blog.

However, the brand suffered a huge blow as the COVID-19 pandemic struck soon after the Shark Tank episode in 2020.

Restocking challenges and supply chain disruption hampered the supply of products to consumers.

The business was solely based on frozen products, which was particularly challenging due to barriers of shipping, storage, and even distribution as the pandemic limited everyone to their homes.

Signs of decline emerged when the company’s official website was taken down and its social media activity ceased. Instagram has been largely inactive since November 2023.

The brand seemed to have stopped completely or significantly reduced its operations, with some sources claiming that the company is no longer in business.

As of now, there is no official confirmation about the Coconut Girl Brand, but the founder, Frankie, stepped down as the CEO in January 2024, as per her LinkedIn profile.

The official pages and the company's official website are non-functional for e-commerce.

Frankie has not given any interviews or released any public statements for a long time.

Stay tuned for more updates.