What Happened To Orka Bar Protein Ice Cream After Shark Tank?

Eating an ice cream bar while meeting protein goals is a win-win. That's the idea behind Orka Bar Protein Ice Cream: you can enjoy a tasty, frozen dessert with nutrients (and not too much sugar). Stephen Longo, a Certified Nutrition Coach, athlete, and founder of Orka, stepped onto the Shark Tank stage in episode 4 of season 17, in October 2025, to seek funding for the protein-packed ice cream bars.

As much as Americans love protein bars, many are pretty meh. Too thick, very dry, weird artificial flavors, and processed ingredients are just a few of the complaints about this snack, and some protein bars are actually quite unhealthy. Recognizing this and wanting something tastier for himself, Longo developed protein ice bars, perfect after a workout — or, in his case, after a beach volleyball game.

The company's name is indeed inspired by the Orca whale — according to its website, Orka also means "energy" in Icelandic. The box of the protein ice cream sandwiches read, "The apex predator of chill." Each box includes four protein bars in flavors like cookies and cream, mint, vanilla bean, and raspberry; each bar is coated in a dark chocolate shell. A single bar contains 15 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of sugar, with the protein coming from egg whites and whey protein. 

Longo stepped on the stage and asked the Sharks for $100,000 in exchange for 15% equity in his company. When he sampled all the flavors of the protein ice cream bars, the Sharks were impressed by how they tasted, especially given their low sugar content. The product attracted investors, and all of them appeared interested.

When Longo started breaking down the cost of production, shipping, and sales, the Sharks started to become doubtful. At the time of the show recording, Orka had done about $30,000 in annual sales with planned revenue of $80,000-$10,000 in the upcoming year. The Sharks saw that the company was focused mostly on entering smaller health-food and vitamin stores, rather than getting onto the shelves of big-name chains. Since there is less shelf space in the frozen aisle, the frozen foods space is highly competitive, and it can be challenging for large retailers to agree to carry a new product. 

On top of that, Orka sold directly to consumers through its website. As a frozen food product, it must be shipped with dry ice, which is costly. Every Shark agreed that it was an excellent product and a well-thought-out brand, but only Lori Greiner decided to pass due to the company's early stage. After some back-and-forth between Greiner and Longo on the investment terms, they finally agreed to a 25% stake in the company for $100,000 in funding.

Getting a Shark Tank deal is a huge accomplishment, and TV exposure helped Orka win over new customers. The company saw an increase in new orders after the episode aired, and Orka now ships its protein ice cream directly to consumers nationwide. In stores, Orka is currently available only in the northern East Coast, still mostly in gyms and specialty health stores. 

The ice cream flavors the company presented on Shark Tank are the same as those on its website, priced at $13.99 per box; there's also a variety pack that lets customers try all the flavors. Most ice cream bars receive a five-star rating from happy customers on the website.

The company has also since created an affiliate program that works with people passionate about health and fitness to help spread brand awareness. Online publications such as Trendhunter and ROI-NJ have featured Orka.

Only a few months have passed since the Shark Tank episode aired, and Orka seems to still be in the early stages of business. On LinkedIn, the company lists 2-10 employees, and has about 4,000 followers on Instagram. It doesn't appear that the company has been able to expand into big-name retailers yet, as the Sharks recommended, but after all, Orka just appeared on Shark Tank quite recently.

Both the protein bar and ice cream spaces are highly competitive — as the Shark investors noted —but being backed by a Shark Tank investor certainly gives the company a leg up. Other companies in this space that have appeared on Shark Tank have seen post-show success; MOSH protein bars, for example, have since been able to expand into more retailers.

Because Orka Protein Ice Cream addresses many of the concerns about protein bars and ice cream, it has a competitive edge that sets it apart for health-conscious and athletic consumers. So hopefully, we'll see the brand in stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts in the near future.