Where Is Fresh Bellies From Shark Tank Today?

Aug 09, 2023

If you have the means and time to purchase healthy, clean ingredients for all your meals, having a brand-new baby to care for may make that task slightly more challenging. Apart from sourcing quick and healthy dinner ideas for yourself, you eventually need to think about what nutritious foods to give your baby. Having healthy but convenient meals to offer your little one carries a significant amount of weight when you have a busy schedule. Luckily, Latin American entrepreneur Saskia Sorrosa developed a prepackaged option for babies that contained only healthy, recognizable ingredients, with simple distinct spices.

Sorrosa's company Fresh Bellies debuted to the public in 2016, and was initially marketed as a refrigerated baby food puree assortment. It included varieties like Broccoli Ever After, which included broccoli, swiss chard, and garlic, and Apple of my Eye, which housed apples, blueberries, and mint. However, this simplistic food business needed additional funding from investors, so Sorrosa decided to take her chances on "Shark Tank" Season 10 Episode 13 in 2019. While none of the Sharks wanted a bite from the Fresh Bellies business, the company is thriving, and Fresh Bellies products are now sold in major food stores like Whole Foods Market and Target. Before we get into the specifics of how the Fresh Bellies business is doing in 2023, let's unpack the trajectory of Fresh Bellies since its inception in 2016, and why this company didn't gain a deal on ABC's popular "Shark Tank" series.

Once a corporate businesswoman, Sorrosa knew she wanted to give other families the opportunity to give their children healthy, convenient, quality food. The Fresh Bellies founder first began selling her simplistic baby food purees at Farmer's Markets in New York, claiming children needed more opportunities to eat real savory foods like onions and garlic, unmasked by sweeter ingredients or additives. She took notes from other cultures that were making baby food around the world to include some of her favorite flavors from her South American upbringing.

While Sorrosa had raised money on her own in the company's earlier days, Fresh Bellies needed more funding to enter the retail market in a bigger way. She appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2019, asking for $275,000 in exchange for 5% of her business. Unfortunately, none of the Sharks' were eager to invest: While a few investors didn't believe Sorrosa's product line could help battle childhood obesity due to inaccessibility, others were worried about Fresh Bellies securing enough space in the refrigerated market. Ultimately, the company's financial profile at the time didn't look promising to the famous ABC investors. Even though Sorrosa didn't secure a deal on "Shark Tank," the innovative businesswoman eventually altered the Fresh Bellies product line to accommodate these storage roadblocks and has since experienced remarkable success.

Ever since Fresh Bellies struggled to secure space in major retailers' refrigerated space, business owner Saskia Sorrosa decided to pivot her pureed food business and debut a line of toddler-friendly snacks in 2019. The initial snack line was shelf-stable varieties of sliced fruits and vegetables with various seasonings like freeze-dried roasted red peppers, sunflower oil, and sea salt. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, Fresh Bellies experienced exponential growth. The company's initial snack line allowed Fresh Bellies to become a mainstay in over 4,000 stores by the end of 2020.

Fast forward to 2023, and you can now add Fresh Bellies products to your list of healthy snacks to pack in your kid's backpack. In 2021, the company launched another crunchy snack called Groovies which are sorghum-based puffs with added vegetable powders and spices for additional flavor. These sorghum puffs are one of the first vegan snacks available to use vegetables as a primary seasoning agent. Not only that, but Sorrosa is committed to using sorghum as the ancient grain of choice for her new snack line because it's high in protein and also sustainable. Consumers can now buy Fresh Bellies freeze-dried snacks and Groovies in a variety of flavors directly from the company website. Although Fresh Bellies didn't secure an investment from the "Shark Tank" judges, the company's founder is excited to see what the future holds for Fresh Bellies in terms of tasty snacks the entire family can enjoy.