The Bumbling Bee Update | Shark Tank Season 12

Cassandra and India Ayala both headed to the Shark Tank during Season 12 to pitch their vegan fast-food company, The Bumbling Bee. Already operational with two brick-and-mortar locations and many food trucks, the mother and daughter were looking for a shark to partner up with them for $150,000 in exchange for 10% equity. Unfortunately, while vegan food is very much a hot trend nowadays, the two would ultimately walk away from Shark Tank without a deal. If you’re curious to find out what’s new with Cassandra and India after failing to secure a deal in the Shark Tank, our The Bumbling Bee update should satisfy you.

Shark Tank The Bumbling Bee Update

The Bumbling Bee Update Shark Tank

  • Entrepreneur: Cassandra and India Ayala
  • Business: Vegan fast-food restaurant
  • Ask: $150,000 for 10% equity
  • Result: No deal
  • Shark: None

The Bumbling Bee is a fast-food vegan restaurant that serves plant-based “junk food” in its brick-and-mortar stores, as well as food trucks. The idea was initially conceived by Cassandra who wanted to try her hand in the food business after working in real estate for more than 25 years. India would later join and the two officially started The Bumbling Bee in Virginia Beach out of a food truck. The business was such a huge hit that they decided to open up their first restaurant in Boulder, Colorado in 2019.

As the popularity of The Bumbling Bee grew, so did their branches of operation. In January 2020, The Bumbling Bee expanded to a second branch in Boulder, Colorado. Both are also accompanied by food trucks that they have named Daisy and Dixie which are used to cater special events.

Heading into the Shark Tank, Cassandra and India impressed the sharks with their sales and the taste of their food. In 2020, The Bumbling Bee made $324,000 in sales. However, despite the good numbers, the sharks felt that what The Bumbling Bee was doing was not unique in any way.

According to the sharks, nothing that The Bumbling Bee was doing was proprietary. This meant that other companies could copy them whenever they wanted. Because of this, they felt that it just didn’t make sense to invest in the company right now. All of the sharks decided not to make an offer for The Bumbling Bee, but did clarify that they were impressed with what Cassandra and India had achieved.

As for our The Bumbling Bee update, you’d be glad to know that the company seems to be doing extremely well despite failing to secure a deal. On the business’ Instagram account, the owners thanked everyone who reached out after their episode on Shark Tank and has been interviewed by numerous news outlets since airing.

As COVID-19 restrictions continue to lift, hopefully Cassandra and India will once again be able to serve their customers all sorts of yummy vegan junk food. If we get more news on a The Bumbling Bee update, we’ll be sure to let you know.

For more updates from Shark Tank Season 12 Episode 22, be sure to check out the links below:

For more on Shark Tank Season 12, be sure to check out our Season 12 Products page.