This Shark Tank Espresso Drink Just Arrived At Costco
There's no denying that when the mighty sharks of "Shark Tank" get behind a business, a startup can attract millions of dollars in investments, like Soupergirl, and increase its reach, like MUSH oatmeal. However, there have also been cases when sharks rejected a deal, and the businesses have gone on to become pretty darn successful. Take Kodiak Cakes, for instance. The brand makes 100% whole grain breakfast items and in 2020 was on its way to making $100 million in sales despite not having a shark's backing (via Business Insider). Season 11 startup Slate has fallen into the second category, too, it seems.
When two university friends and chocolate milk lovers, Manny Lubin and Josh Belinski, appeared on "Shark Tank" with the idea to sell protein-rich chocolate milk minus the added sugar and artificial ingredients, you might have thought that the sharks would be thrilled to get behind this sweet idea. Instead, the duo walked out without the $400,000 deal that they were seeking in return for 10% of their company because the sharks didn't like the taste of the drinks (via Shark Tank Tales).
It turns out that Slate is actually doing quite well for itself and has raised roughly $6 million through fundraisers (via Forbes). In fact, chocolate milk lovers might be glad to know Slate milk cans have made their way onto Costco's shelves, according to an Instagram post by @Costco_doesitagain)!
Slate makes lactose-free chocolate milk
According to Forbes, after the brutal remarks that Slate got for the taste of its chocolate milk on, cofounders Lubin and Belinski spent a year reworking on their recipe. Per the Slate website, they now sell different flavors of chocolate milk — classic chocolate, dark chocolate, and an espresso-based mocha latte — which are all lactose-free. And they are being marketed towards adults.
News @ Northeastern reports that although the cofounders are chocolate milk fans, both are lactose intolerant themselves. The idea to make chocolate milk suitable for lactose intolerant adults came from struggling to find a more nutritionally beneficial chocolate milk option at the market that was lactose-free and not packaged to appeal to children. Per Slate's website, they ultra-filter their milk to get rid of lactose sugars. The result is chocolate milk with zero added sugar, 20 grams of protein, and that has a long shelf life.
Although the beverages are available to buy via Slate's website, Instagram's @Costco_doesitagain has found them at Costco. It seems that 12-packs of the brand's espresso chocolate milk cans will be available at Costco in the Greater Los Angeles area for a limited period of time. While not everyone expressed enthusiasm, at least some Costco shoppers are psyched about the drinks. "Yum!! I need to try this!" a exclaimed. Others wished that Costco stocked the drinks in more locations. As one user put it, "Sucks that certain things are only at certain stores. These look awesome!"