Here's What Happened To Dollop Gourmet After Shark Tank
Created by 2012 "Cupcake Wars" winner Heather Saffer, Dollop Gourmet was designed to provide a better option than artificial cake frosting, which Saffer has quite the disdain for. The specialty toppings are intended to have the same quality as homemade creations but are far more convenient than having to always make frosting from scratch. It was also important to her that the frosting be accessible to everyone, so she created it to be non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and soy-free.
Before starting Dollop, Saffer ran a bakery in Rochester, New York. When that business failed, she opened up a new bakery three weeks later. "I find a lot of value in failure," she told WXXI's Connections with Evan Dawson. "If you don't fail, you're not going to the next level. If you don't take the risks to fail, then you're not really going to get anywhere."
Viewers will remember that she received not one, but two offers on "Shark Tank," putting Saffer in the middle of a tug of war. But how has Dollop Gourmet fared since its appearance on the show?
Did Dollop get a deal on Shark Tank?
During her appearance on "Shark Tank," Heather Saffer asked for $75,000 for a 20% stake in Dollop Gourmet. Lori Greiner recognized her from "Cupcake Wars," and all the Sharks were impressed with her self-determination, especially after she told them that she'd taught herself to bake by watching YouTube videos and Google and that she'd also published a cookbook after researching how to do it. "You are the definition of 'don't know when to quit," Robert Herjavec told her. Unfortunately, he also revealed he doesn't like frosting, so he was the first one out.
Greiner didn't see the product working on QVC, so she was out. Kevin O'Reilly offered Saffer a deal of $75,000 for 33.3% with the intent to include Dollop Gourmet in the Wicked product line. Before she could ponder his offer, Barbara Corcoran said that she wanted to make a deal with Lori Greiner for $75,000 for a 30% stake. Saffer counteroffered Corcoran for 25%, and after she agreed to it, Saffer told her she had a deal.
According to Democrat & Chronicle, Saffer's deal with Corcoran was never finalized. Luckily, that didn't hinder Dollop Gourmet's delicious rise.
Dollop kept growing after Shark Tank
The "Shark Tank" exposure worked wonders for the company and got Dollop Gourmet a lot of attention, and sales were dramatically boosted after the show aired. "It was big," Heather Saffer told The Physical Product Movement. "Especially for E-Commerce, which I had just launched a week prior to 'Shark Tank' airing. [We] got a ton of orders, really flooded with orders, and then it led to a Forbes article that I was profiled in."
The business gained further fame and fortune by selling on QVC, despite Lori Greiner initially saying that she didn't envision Dollop Gourmet appearing on the shopping network. Saffer also released her second cookbook, "Crazy Easy Vegan Desserts," in April 2018. While the company's original frosting options that appeared on "Shark Tank" were Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Sea Salted Caramel, Madagascar Vanilla, and Hot Chocolate, by October 2018, a new flavor, Cream Cheese Cashmere was introduced.
Dollop Gourmet stayed pretty active on social media, with its Instagram page amassing a following of over 11,000. Posts of giveaways, Dollop frosted desserts, and questions posed to spark conversation and interactions were common on the platform. The company seemed to be in an upswing, so it was a surprise when Saffer posted on Facebook in November 2018 that she was selling Dollop Gourmet.
Dollop's website shows no products available to order
Even though Dollop Gourmet rocketed to fame after its "Shark Tank" appearance and seemed to gather commercial success while under the control of founder Heather Saffer, she ultimately sold it to the Canadian company Mimac in 2019. In an interview with Starter Story, she expressed how much faith and trust she had in the company, which had been making glazes and icing for more than 40 years. This truly is the best partnership that I could've hoped for," she said. "I can't wait to see what the future has in store for Dollop under this new ownership."
But Mimac seems to have been having trouble. Its website shows that all of the frostings are listed as being sold out. Of course, this could happen to any company, but its social media suggests a different story. A comment responding to a customer from August 2022 suggested once packaging and labels had been updated they would be back in business. However, label problems were noted in March 2022, and the company reported issues with gluten-free and non-genetically modified certifications in October 2021, indicating business has been difficult for some time.
As of September 2023, Dollop Gourmet's Instagram account remains active with plenty of photos of delicious frosted desserts. Unfortunately, the company hasn't responded to any customer comments asking when the product will return.
Saffer continues inspiring other entrepreneurs
While it's unclear what the future holds for Dollop Gourmet, founder Heather Saffer has kept busy. Immediately after selling Dollop she created Heather & Donald — named for herself and her dog, Donald. On an episode of The Physical Product Movement podcast, she explained it was a "passion project non-profit, to raise money for animal rescues that I create artwork and put it on t-shirts and mugs." While the website for the project no longer works, Donald has his own Instagram profile for those who want to follow along on his adventures.
Saffer's LinkedIn shows a businesswoman who is always pursuing passion projects and new opportunities. In April 2022 she cofounded Yonderplate, which works with food establishments to create plant-based food options and menus. She also works as an advisor and coaches entrepreneurs and startups. Most recently she cofounded General Mills' G-Works Venture Studio, which has a mission to "identify opportunities, develop breakthrough solutions, and support brands using the scale and capabilities of General Mills to accelerate their growth."