The Truth About What Happened To IncrEDIBLE Eats After Appearing On Shark Tank
Don't worry about poking yourself when you bite down on a plastic fork anymore, and instead enjoy your cutlery! We know that sounds a bit strange, but that's what the company IncrEDIBLE Eats was suggesting when they appeared on the hit ABC show, "Shark Tank."
CEO of IncrEDIBLE Eats, Dinesh Tadepalli, appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2021 with an innovative line of cutlery. After recognizing how wasteful plastic spoons, forks, knives, and more could be to the environment, Tadepalli got the idea to create an edible line of cutlery made out of a cookie-based substance. The company's website shares, "We're on a mission to reinvent the way we eat the food by replacing all plastic utensils with our edible options." Tadepalli's eager and positive attitude had the sharks ready to discover more about IncrEDIBLE Eats, as Tadepalli sought $500,000 for a 7% stake in the company.
But, while pitching to the sharks, Tadepalli ran into some big problems. The sharks questioned whether companies would be willing to spend a larger amount on edible cutlery versus spending less on a standard plastic spoon. In addition, Tadepalli had only sold about $170,000, which was significantly less than what the sharks thought he would have sold by now. So, did the sharks end up biting and taking on IncrEDIBLE Eats? Well, we're here to fill you in on what has happened to IncrEDIBLE Eats since appearing on "Shark Tank."
IncrEDIBLE Eats had Lori Greiner locked in but that quickly fell apart
Despite some big questions that lingered when it came to IncrEDIBLE Eats on "Shark Tank," some of the judges were willing to take on the risk. CEO of IncrEDIBLE Eats, Dinesh Tadepalli, had four sharks fighting for the chance to join the edible cutlery company including Kevin O'Leary, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, and guest judge, Daniel Lubetzky. Ultimately, Tadepalli decided to go with Greiner at $500,000 for a 15% stake in the company.
But, what was supposed to be an exciting time for Tadepalli quickly turned sour. Just months after striking a deal with Greiner, the contract between the two fell through. Tadepalli gave vague details about the fallout with Joe Pardo in December 2021. He shared, "One thing I can tell you, for undisclosed reasons, the deal didn't go through, unfortunately. But, I still value the fact that we were on air." Even as time went on, Tadepalli was still hush-hush about what went down with him and Greiner. However, he did disclose to WSOC-TV, "They changed the deal terms." So, perhaps Greiner was hoping to invest less money than she initially wanted to into the company, or maybe she wanted a bigger stake. Whatever it was that unfolded between the two, it ultimately led to Tadepalli having to figure things out on his own once again.
IncrEDIBLE Eats teamed up with an ice cream giant
Things were rough for Dinesh Tadepalli and IncrEDIBLE Eats after their deal with Lori Greiner on "Shark Tank" fell through. The CEO even revealed to Research Triangle Park that he had another failed situation with an unnamed fast food company. Although these two setbacks could have been the last straw for Tadepalli, he continued to push forward, and it's a good thing he did.
In January 2022, Tadepalli and the ice cream company Dippin' Dots formed a partnership. The Director of National Accounts of Dippin' Dots, Bryan Carney, shared in a press release, "Providing an edible spoon with our ice cream is a win-win for everyone. It elevates our ice cream, it saves our planet from waste and it aligns with the message many of our partners are trying to convey." Although it wasn't clear when the partnership would begin, the ice cream company was ecstatic about teaming up with IncrEDIBLE Eats. Carney shared, "We are so excited to kick-off this partnership and we can't wait for our customers to try these delicious spoons."
According to The Spoon, Tadepalli later revealed they would slowly launch with Dipppin' Dots, he shared, "They will start in select locations — mostly aquariums, zoos — with a goal to introduce early summer." Although their goal was the summer of 2022, it seems they are still testing out the waters with select locations. In July 2023, IncrEDIBLE Eats shared a post of their product being used at Ripley's Aquarium.