What Happened To Everything Legendary After Shark Tank?
It seems plant-based meat is everywhere today, which is a refreshing option. Chains from Burger King to TGI Fridays give vegetarian and vegan customers the option to swap a beef patty for a plant-based one. Brands like Impossible, Quorn, and Beyond Meat are ubiquitous on grocery store shelves and are "increasingly competitive with animal products on taste, price, and accessibility," according to Good Food Institute. They also report that since 2021 "grocery sales of plant-based foods that directly replace animal products have grown 27 percent," upwards of a whopping $7 billion.
The BBC reports that Black Americans are an important demographic for the plant-based meat industry, as they're adopting vegan diets or reducing meat consumption in larger numbers than other Americans — nearly three times as likely to make the switch. While plant-based diets are connected to better health for everyone, studies have shown that the benefits of a plant-based diet can be more significant for the Black community, who tend to have higher rates of stroke, heart disease, and high blood pressure (via Proactive Health Labs).
The Black-owned company Everything Legendary was inspired to create a great-tasting, plant-based meat replacement by their mother's decision to go plant-based for her health (via ABC).
Everything Legendary wants to promote healthy eating
Friends and Everything Legendary founders Jumoke Jackson, Danita Claytor, and Duane Myko appeared on Season 12, Episode 15 of "Shark Tank." Hailing from the Washington, D.C., area, they started their business in 2019 to create a better-tasting meat replacement and to promote a healthier eating lifestyle to the Black community.
During their segment, the founders revealed that due to the pandemic, they had to pivot to an e-commerce strategy instead of selling out of their community kitchen space, and hadn't spent any money on marketing. They were seeking $300,000 for 10% equity to expand their business, as they had been operating via word of mouth.
After sharing their burgers with the sharks (to great reviews), Mark Cuban and the Everything Legendary founders agreed to $300,000 for 22% equity (via Shark Tank Recap). Cuban also suggested that they would find more success in the food licensing space, rather than in frozen foods.
Everything Legendary is a massive success
It turns out that Everything Legendary is doing very well. Just a day after their episode aired, they made $250,000 in sales. By four months after the episode aired, Everything Legendary had sold $1.7 million worth of burgers (per Shark Tank Recap). And it gets better.
Everything Legendary announced in February 2022 — just a year after appearing on "Shark Tank" — that they had closed $6 million in Series A funding. Investors included CircleUp Growth Partners, General Mills' venture capital arm 301 INC (which also includes other meat replacement brands like Beyond Meat and Good Catch), "Shark Tank's" Cuban, and music producer Russell Simmons.
According to a press release, Everything Legendary is now in 1,500 grocery stores, including Target, Meijer, and Publix, and has gone from working out of a home kitchen to a national brand. While their early growth was organic, getting on "Shark Tank" was a stroke of luck for the Everything Legendary team. Vince Parker, COO, said in a press release, "We're a Black-owned, grassroots business ... just two years ago we were working out of a garage. We're pretty proud of what we've achieved so far."
If you want to give Everything Legendary a try, you can order online or look for it at your local Publix or Target.
The brand is finding a foothold in a competitive market
Everything Legendary continues to find success in the hyper competitive meat replacement market space. Event and concert promoter Live Nation featured the brand's burgers at various events around the country as of summer 2022, including ones held at festivals and amphitheaters. Students at HBCUs can also now find Everything Legendary burgers and chicken in their campus dining halls through a partnership to encourage Black youth to make better food choices.
Soon, it'll be even easier to find Everything Legendary in your local supermarket or grocery store instead of just online or at a school or Live Nation event. The brand was already being sold in a number of stores, and lately it's popping up in even more locations and states with announcements being made on the Everything Legendary Instagram page. In July 2023 Mom's Organic Market started carrying the vegan meat in its Northeast locations, and the plant-based company has also expanded into 850 Publix stores across seven states in the South, including the Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. The Publix announcement came on the heels of an expansion into 1,000 Kroger stores in 15 states.