What Happened To Ice Age Meals After Shark Tank?
Frozen and healthy are two words you will rarely ever find together. While pre-packaged frozen meals are undeniably convenient, anything that is bought from a store and goes from freezing hard to piping hot in a few minutes has a bad rep for not being particularly healthy. Certain frozen foods, for example, have unhealthy fats, sugar, and sodium levels that account for a good chunk of your daily recommended intake (via NY Post). Consumed in excess, these processed foods may lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
But, not all frozen food is bad. According to Verywell Fit, freezing does not hamper food's nutritional value, so it all depends on how nutritious the food is before it's frozen. With the right meals, there's no reason why something frozen cannot be healthy. So, when Nick Massie walked into the "Shark Tank" room in Episode 2 of Season 8, with a business of packaged frozen meals that were healthy, it seemed like Massie had hit jackpot (via Shark Tank Blog). While Massie's Ice Age Meals ticked all the boxes in the nutrition and taste department, the sharks weren't exactly jumping to get on board the healthy frozen meal business.
Nick Massie's valuation didn't sit well with the sharks
Ice Age Meals' frozen foods had one key point: They focused on all things healthy. Considering the fact that Nick Massie was both a fitness enthusiast and a chef himself, the meals were made with organic meats and veggies and were nutritious enough to be fit for athletes as well (via Shark Tank Blog). According to the company's website, Ice Age Meals have balanced macros, are designed for both healthy eaters and competitive athletes, and happen to be free from all things that give frozen foods a bad rep: preservatives, added sugars, and refined grains.
At the time of his appearance on "Shark Tank," Massie was already selling about 5000 meals a week, had made $1.5 million in revenue the previous year, and had a seven-dollar profit margin per meal. These are all the things that a shark generally likes to hear! But, there was one huge problem: The Ice Age Meals' $10 million valuation didn't sit right with the sharks. It also didn't help that, when asked to justify the valuation, Massie told the sharks to believe in him rather than give them numbers to back his steep valuation. One by one, Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, Raymond John, and Robert Herjavec all dropped out, leaving Massie without any deal on the table.
Ice Age Meals is doing pretty well for itself
It's not unusual for an entrepreneur to walk out of "Shark Tank" without a deal. But, it's also not unusual for the entrepreneur to succeed despite not having a shark's backing. In fact, many entrepreneurs have reported seeing a sharp rise in sales after their episodes aired on screen. What is known as the "Shark Tank" Effect, also seems to have hit Massie and his Ice Age Meals.
According to the Shark Tank Blog, Ice Age Meals reported $100,000 in sales within three hours of the episode's broadcast and the company made $1 million in revenue that month. Ice Age Meals had almost made in a month, what it took an entire year to earn before appearing on the show.
Ice Age Meals continues to sell healthy frozen meals through its website. Shoppers can buy either 12, 16, 30, or 60 meals in one go and have over 40 frozen meals to choose from. Ice Age Meals now also seems to be selling spice rubs, sauces, and different kinds of jerky for snacking. As of 2022, BizzBucket reports that Ice Age Meals are not only still in business, but seem to be making between $3 to $4 million in revenue each year.