What Happened To Freestyle Snacks After Its Shark Tank Deal?

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Season 17, Episode 5 of "Shark Tank," which aired in the fall of 2025, saw Nikki Seaman pitching Freestyle Snacks, liquid-free olive and pickle pouches for on-the-go snacking. Seaman's idea was conceptualized during COVID-19 quarantine when olive bars (self-serve displays found in some supermarket delis) were shut down, and she was forced to turn to jarred and canned olives, which she found less flavorful, inconvenient, and messy. 

Viewers may remember this episode, titled "History is Made: The Return of Allison Ellsworth," since it featured former "Shark Tank" contestant and Poppi founder Allison Ellsworth returning as a guest Shark. The only other time a "Shark Tank" contestant returned to the show as a Shark was Ring Doorbell founder Jamie Siminoff in 2018. Ellsworth pitched the prebiotic soda, then Mother Beverage, in Season 10 of "Shark Tank" and has since sold her company to PepsiCo for $2 billion. 

Prior to starting Freestyle Snacks, Seaman gained experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sector as the manager of special projects for Whisps Baked Cheese snacks and senior associate consultant for Bain & Company. In January 2022, after gathering feedback from olive shoppers in grocery store aisles, the University of Pennsylvania alum created the jar-less, easy-to-eat, marinated olives, initially with three flavors: kalamata olive with extra virgin olive oil, green olive lemon garlic, and green olive hot and spicy. Seeking help from the Sharks to expand her steadily growing business, Seaman ultimately walked away with a deal after receiving an offer from just one Shark. 

The Sharks appreciated the taste of Seaman's high-quality, mess-free Greek olives that can be eaten straight from the bag, mixed in a salad, or tossed in a martini. That being said, they were surprised by her large valuation for an olive company. Seaman sought 300,000 for 5% equity in the company, a valuation of $6 million. Still, the Sharks were impressed with the company's rapidly growing sales of $200,000 in 2022, quadrupling to $1 million in 2023, $2.2 million in 2024, and a projection of between $4 and $5 million in 2025.

Despite increasing sales numbers and being sold in around 4,500 stores, including Whole Foods and Target, profits were low, and Seaman needed help expanding her team to keep up with the business. Always the pessimist, Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O'Leary) chimed in to say there was nothing proprietary about the product, and it would ultimately be knocked off by big name food brands. Allison Ellsworth responded that while this happened to Poppi, customers still chose it over knock-offs because it was first and had better quality and packaging. 

Despite O'Leary's typical jabs, the Sharks had mostly positive things to say about Seaman and the product (although, Robert Herjavec admitted he didn't like olives), but all the investors besides Ellsworth decided to pass since they wanted much higher equity. Ellsworth made a self-proclaimed "sharky" offer of $300,000 for 15% stake, to which Seaman countered, ultimately settling at 12%.

Although she didn't have many deals to choose from, fortunately for Nikki Seaman, Freestyle Snacks did not end up as one of the several food companies that didn't land a deal on Shark Tank. Simply appearing on "Shark Tank" typically results in a boom in sales for small businesses, known as the "Shark Tank effect," due to the wide publicity of appearing on a national TV show. Indeed, according to Food Business News, the company experienced a 600% growth in direct-to-consumer sales within two weeks of appearing on the show.

Shortly after securing a "Shark Tank" deal with Allison Ellsworth, the company began selling a "Shark Tank bundle" on its website, which includes the five signature olive flavors: Green Original, Lemon Garlic, Mediterranean Herb Medley, Kalamata, and Hot & Spicy for $28. Overall, from 2022 to 2025, Freestyle Snacks expanded its product line to include pickle chips, mini dill pickles, and more flavor varieties. The brand was also featured on "Good Morning America" and "QVC." If the company's popularity continues to increase, perhaps it will be added to the list of the most memorable Shark Tank food companies.

Plenty of Shark Tank food inventions have flopped, but luckily for olive lovers, Freestyle Snacks is currently still in business. Its snack pouches can be purchased on the company's website or Amazon and at over 5,000 stores, including Whole Foods, Target, CVS, and Central Market. The olives have also been sold in Delta Airlines snack boxes, in over 700 7-Elevens in Florida, and featured in charcuterie displays at Raley's stores in California. 

Besides the Shark Tank bundle, the olives come in 4 ounce bags and are sold in six-packs on the Freestyle Snacks website for $30. Or you can purchase a three-pack of Freestyle Snacks olives on Amazon for $16.49. With a 4.3-star rating, shoppers enjoy these snacking olives for their firm texture, convenience, and nutritional value. Customers' opinions are split on the cost — some find the price reasonable, while others find them too expensive. Meanwhile, the pickle chips and mini pickles cost slightly less than the olives. For example, a six-pack of Garlic Dill Mini Pickles is priced at $24 on the company's website. On Amazon, the Pickle Variety Snack Packs have a lower review rating of 3.7, mostly due to customers finding them to be overpriced for the product. 

In general, besides the savory, briny flavor, people enjoy eating olives for their low calorie content and nutritional benefits, such as antioxidants, vitamin E, and healthy fats. Certain types of olives, including Freestyle Snacks olives, also contain probiotics due to natural fermentation.

Freestyle Snacks recently celebrated four years of business and is still going strong. The company continues to capitalize off its recent "Shark Tank" success, gaining more exposure through "QVC," and keeping up with social media to highlight how its olives can be used besides snacking straight from the bag. Creative ideas on the company's Instagram page include incorporating them in Dirty Martini Butter for waffles, adding them to Dirty Martini Jell-O cubes, using them as a topping for pizza, deep-frying them, and stuffing the olives with caviar. 

The snack company appears to be employing a combination of online and in-store marketing to increase visibility. For example, throwing a "pickle party" at Whole Foods that included a booth complete with a DJ, free samples, dancing pickle mascots, and plenty of fun, pickle-loving energy. The company has also done collaboration marketing by teaming up with other women-led or relevant snack brands to offer prize pack giveaways to eligible Instagram followers. It's clear the brand is focused on getting the word out and targeting younger customers through vibrant marketing campaigns on social media, as well as using colorful packaging and displays that draw shoppers to the product on store shelves.