Highlights
- Donna McCue, a former comedian, seeks $250,000 for 5% equity in Fat Ass Fudge, her gluten-free, organic fudge business using goat’s milk.
- Despite her entertaining pitch, the Sharks opt not to invest, though Kevin O’Leary jokingly offers $250K for 1,000% of the business.
- After the show, Fat Ass Fudge experiences a surge in online sales, and Donna sells the company to Chocology in 2014 for an undisclosed amount.
Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Fat Ass Fudge |
| Founder | Donna McCue |
| Industry | Specialty Foods & Confections |
| Product | Organic, gluten-free fudge made with goat’s milk |
| Funding Sought | $250,000 |
| Investment Ask | $250,000 |
| Equity Offered | 5% |
| Valuation | $5 million |
Fat Ass Fudge is the eponymously named, organic, gluten-free fudge business that is the creation of entrepreneur Donna McCue of East Hampton, New York. She brings her decadent and delicious confections to the Shark Tank in episode 409 seeking funding from the Sharks. The 60 something former intuitive and comedienne has been making her fudge from her grandmother’s recipe since 2008 in various restaurant kitchens in her area. She uses organic goat’s milk and butter, which makes the fudge more palatable to those with lactose intolerance and her recipe is gluten-free. Donna sells her fudge online, at local farmer’s markets and from her “Fudgemobile.”
Fat Ass Fudge Pitch
Donna was looking for $250k for a 5% share in her business. She presented a wacky, off-beat pitch, no doubt reminiscent of her days as a comedian. She wants to turn Fat Ass Fudge into a big brand, but the Sharks don’t want a bite of the business – just the fudge. Kevin offers $250K for 1,000% of the business, because he thinks Donna is nuts (in a good way)! He’s out. Barbara, Daymond, and Robert soon follow. Mark thinks Donna will be fine without him, so he’s out. In a parting shot, Donna says to Kevin, “unlike you, fudge never disappoints.”
Fat Ass Fudge Shark Tank Update
We have not spoken to Donna, but we have corresponded via email and she has seen a HUGE uptick in online sales since she appeared on the show. Her segment was very wacky and funny and she tells Shark Tank Blog she taped for over an hour (a long time in studio by the show’s standards). There were quite a lot of things left on the editing room floor, including Donna calling one of the Sharks a “fudge packer!” The former comedian is obviously not afraid to say what’s on her mind!
The SharkTankBlog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. In November, 2014, Donna sold the company to Chocology for an undisclosed amount.
Posts About Fat Ass Fudge on SharkTankBlog
Company Information
Hello,
We recently acquired Fat Ass Fudge and thought you might be interested in our Award Winning Year in Review:
An Award Winning Fat Ass Year in Review
Whew! What a year it’s been for the Chocology team. Won’t you come with us as we reminisce about all of the exciting events we’ve experience since acquiring Fat Ass Fudge?
October 30, 2014 The Fat Ass Press Release
Chocology was proud to announce in October of last year, the acquisition of Fat Ass Fudge, originally founded by the brilliant Donna McCue of East Hampton, NY. We started out with four flavors and have expanded to many other flavors this past year including S’mores and Cappuccino. We’ve kept the same delicious Fat Ass Recipe but enhanced the culinary experience with our Art Of Tasting Mindfully card.
A big thank you goes out to all who have supported us on our Fat Ass journey!
A Sweet Way to Give Back
In April 2014, Chocology set out on a mission to raise money for some very worthy charities through our Chocology Cares campaign. Chocology hit the road with Fat Ass Fudge to raise awareness and money for these charities by promoting the Fat Ass brand. With every order of Fat Ass Fudge sold, a portion of the proceeds went to serving some great causes.
AND – Drum Roll Please! Chocology raises $3,000 for Caterina’s Club to give a Family a Home
Through our Chocology Cares Campaign, we raised enough money to give a family a home through the Caterina’s Club charity, run by our 2011 CNN Hero, Chef Bruno Serato. We flew to California to present Chef Bruno with the check personally. Our hearts swelled with the knowing that Fat Ass Fudge was making a difference in the world!
Fat Ass in the Tank
Chocology had the privilege of speaking at the Sprout Pharmaceutical National Sales Conference in October in Washington, D.C. along with 8 other Shark Tank participants and keynote speaker Daymond John. Here’s what Linda focused on:
“There is no one “right way” to be an entrepreneur. It’s all about being yourself and bringing your authentic ideas to your product or service.”
“Being Customer Focused is the cornerstone of any business …the sale begins and ends with relationships, both internal within your company and external with your customers.”
“Always be looking for solutions, I begin each morning with this question: ‘How many problems can I solve today?’ ”
Being a part of the Shark Tank family inspires us to continue to sweeten the process for our large corporate clients through their corporate promotions, give-aways and gift giving projects.
Two Fat Ass Awards
Chocology
Chocology Unlimited
Chocology: the place to go if you are a fan of chocolate and you want to learn about chocolate OR you want to give a scrumptious gift for that special someone.
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was presented with two first place awards for best dessert at the Taste of Port Jefferson Event – both by the Port Jefferson judges and by the People’s Choice. We were so honored to receive both awards and so grateful to everyone who took the time to come out.
Shark Tank
Chocology is honored to be associated with Shark Tank through our Fat Ass Fudge. Many opportunities have opened up for us by participating in the Shark Tank television show. The reruns continue to bring us business and we are so grateful. People love the name and we continue to keep Fat Ass Fudge a consistently terrific sweet that everyone can enjoy. It’s what keeps our loyal Shark Tank fans coming back for more! Thank you!
A big thank you to all of our Fat Ass clients, both corporate and individual, for making this a Fat Ass year to remember! Your loyalty and continued support is what keeps us excited about all things chocolate!
Here’s to another year of Fat Ass goodness! Cheers!
Warmly,
Linda Johnson