What Happened To Y'all Sweet Tea After Shark Tank?

Founded by Alabamian childhood friends Darien Craig and Brandon Echols, Y'all Sweet Tea officially launched in 2021, though the initial spark started years prior. Craig first thought about selling tea in high school but officially gave it a go in 2015 after losing his job. Trusting in his dream, he spent $300 of his final paycheck to purchase tea supplies. After Echols joined the team that same year, they began traveling around to festivals and farmers markets before creating their own blend of black tea in 2020. In 2021, the Y'all Sweet Tea brand was born, combining the "most Southern word" with the "most Southern drink," according to its website.

Not long after, the company began partnering with influencers, particularly a subset that knows quality sweet tea well: Southern grandmas. Y'all Sweet Tea's first big partnership was with Brenda Gantt, an Alabamian woman who gained over 4 million followers on Facebook from her cooking videos and Southern charm. When Craig and Echols appeared on Season 16, Episode 5 of "Shark Tank," they also brought Southern internet personality Mama Sue into the mix, who briefly helped the duo present the teas while teasing longtime Shark Kevin O'Leary. The Sharks had a generally positive reaction to the pitch and seemed both amused and impressed that Y'all Sweet Tea already understood how to leverage social media and obtain success without a funding round or investors.

Several of the Sharks, including Mark Cuban, commented positively on the tea's taste. Drinks on "Shark Tank" have been a surprisingly contentious topic, with investors loving the antioxidant-rich Pricklee Cactus Water but disliking the lactose-free, protein-rich chocolate milk known as Slate.

After serving the Sharks multiple sweet tea flavors like mango and lemon, Darien Craig shared that Y'all Sweet Tea had surpassed $10.3 million in sales from 2021 to the time of filming (the episode aired in November 2024). The co-owners also shared that they expected to make over $5 million in 2025 and that the brand's website sold 10,000 bags of highly anticipated peach tea in just 35 minutes. At that point, the brand was already in approximately 600 Southeastern grocery stores, and the co-owners were in talks with Walmart over a potential partnership. Though Mark Cuban seemed unsure about the company's ad spending, he later said with enthusiasm, "Walmart needs you, you don't need Walmart!" (via YouTube).

Shortly afterwards, Craig and Brandon Echols requested a $500,000 investment in exchange for 5% stake. Guest Shark Rashaun Williams started the investment round, offering $500,000 for a 10% stake. Kevin O'Leary then hopped on the bandwagon, offering to share the $500,000 investment with Williams while doubling the stake to 20%. While O'Leary did not add to the investment, he promised to help with distribution throughout the company's retail venture. He later dropped his play down to 15% in order to compete with Lori Greiner, who also offered to join Williams' investment of $500,000 in exchange for a 15% combined stake.

Greiner complimented the duo on their packaging and company name, proclaiming, "I think we can blow it up and be the name of tea, no one's been disruptive in [the] tea [industry] for years." Ultimately, Craig and Echols chose to take Williams and Greiner's combined offer of $500,000 in exchange for 15% of the company.

Though the Sharks seemed happy, Y'all Sweet Tea's reception following the show's premiere was mixed. Fans of the show shared on Reddit that they were disappointed with the simple contents of the packaging, with one person commenting, "It was disappointing to open up the bag only to find ordinary tea bags." Another commenter wrote, "As soon as I saw I had to add my own sugar I was done." Someone else added, "Yet another beverage pitch. Absolutely NOTHING special about this product. Sweet Tea has been done and overdone."

Meanwhile, in the same thread, other Reddit users described the product as pleasant and even delicious. (Related: If you also have hot takes on sweet tea, read our ranking of fast food sweet teas next.) Though "Shark Tank" fans may have been ambivalent toward the product, the company's owners still managed to walk away from the show with a hefty $500,000 investment. About a week after Y'all Sweet Tea's "Shark Tank" episode premiered, Brandon Echols shared on Instagram that the company had since received nearly 10,000 orders. He stated that it was "probably one of the biggest weeks we've ever had ... it has been a very busy week." He also shared that 9,000 of the packages of tea had already been shipped.

As of May 2025, Y'all Sweet Tea is still in business, with a product line that continues to grow. The company's tea range includes Classic, Half Tea & Half Lemonade, Very Raspberry, Strawberry Splash Bash, and Georgia Peach (a favorite of investors Rashaun Williams and Lori Greiner). You can also choose between gallon or ½-gallon tea bags for certain varieties, and for the classic flavor you can choose either caffeinated or decaffeinated.

Since appearing on "Shark Tank," Y'all Sweet Tea has also ventured into other aspects of the food and beverage industry, including seasonings and sauces. The brand's seasoning lineup leans into its Southern charm with items like Southern Secret (crafted with dried onion and garlic) and a taco seasoning called "Texas Street Taco." Meanwhile, the tea brand's saucy offerings are inspired by the company's bestselling teas, with flavors like Strawberry Splash Bash Tea BBQ Sauce. The brand has also expanded its brewed drink stock to include coffee products.

On Y'all Sweet Tea's "Shark Tank" episode, Darien Craig shared, "Our vision for the brand is to keep growing it," adding that he would eventually want to sell the company. For now, both Craig and Brandon Echols remain co-owners. While the company certainly appears successful, its current net worth is unclear, though it doesn't appear to have initiated any additional rounds of funding.

With regular sales, accessories that embrace current trends, and thousands of 5-star reviews on its website, Y'all Sweet Tea is proving it can stay competitive and relevant. On top of its expanded product range, the brand's products are now sold at Walmart, fulfilling the partnership the duo alluded to on the show. The company's recent hot chocolate partnership with internet personality Mama Sue and continued collaborations with Southern social media star Brenda Gantt shows that Y'all Sweet Tea is still working hard to innovate and expand. Meanwhile, the company's co-owners recently announced on their podcast that fans of the sweet tea can expect three new products to launch by May 23, 2025 (via Instagram). In the meantime, are you craving sweet tea? Check out our recipe for Southern sweet tea here.