Jared Cannon hopes the Sharks bite on his Simply Good Jars, healthy meals in recyclable jars, in Shark Tank episode 1217. Cannon was a successful chef in Philadelphia for 18 years, but when he was going to night school for an MBA and working full time, he often ate food that was “fast, easily available, and often unhealthy.” He wanted quick food that was healthy, so he invented his own brand.
In 2017 he started selling Simply Good Jars in the Philadelphia area. The company’s packaging is a big part of the story too. The jars the food comes in are made from recycled plastic and they’re designed to be re-used. Customers can return the jars when they re-order so they can be washed and used again. For every jar returned, Jared donates one meal to Philabundance or the Salvation Army in the Philly area.
As for the food, the jars are all 9.2 ounces. The menus vary weekly, but the fare when I was writing this page includes Southwestern Cobb Salad, Simply Greek Salad, Smoked Salmon, Chicken Quinoa and Heavenly Pesto. Each jar costs $9.49. They’re only in the Philadelphia area now, but Conrad has plans to expand. Right now, Go Puff is handling deliveries in the Philadelphia area only, but they have over 500 delivery hubs nationwide. Perhaps Conrad needs a Shark’s help getting beyond Philadelphia.
Company Information
Video
Posts about Simply Good Jars on Shark Tank Blog
Simply Good Jars – Healthy Meals in a Jar
Simply Good Jars Shark Tank Recap
Jared enters the Shark Tank seeking $500,000 for 7% of his business. After giving his pitch and telling his story, he hands out samples. The Sharks like the salads which cost $2.50 to $3.60 to make and sell for $8.99 to $10.99. Last year (2019), he did $300,000 in sales. In 2020, he’s on track to do $700,000 – $750,000. The company expects to be profitable in 2021. So far, he’s raised $2.5 million and he owns 51% of the business.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced him to make a major pivot. Most sales were from “smart coolers” placed in hotels, airports, convention centers, office buildings and universities. When the pandemic hit, most of those locations were “gone overnight.” He got into 175 convenience stores and some local Walgreens stores and started using cloud kitchens to make his salads and offer deliveries through Grub Hub and others. Mark was impressed and said he wants to offer $500,000 for ten percent of the business. He wants Lori in on the deal too. Jared accepts.
Simply Good Jars Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. The deal with Mark and Lori never closed. In the aftermath of the original air date, sales increased 1500% and the company received over 750,000 inquiries. They opened a third facility in the Philadelphia area and will have product in 28 states in 2022 through some as yet to be announced partnerships. 2021 revenues were $4 million. In early 2022, the company struck a partnership deal with WAWA to provide their products in their stores. These negotiations were in the works before the Shark Tank appearance.
In January, 2022, the company built another facility in Florida. It likely has to do with a deal they struck with WAWA. Initially, they’ll be available in 30 locations around Philadelphia, but WAWA is expanding in Florida, so we’ll likely see Simply Good Jars there too. The company is eyeing international expansion and is working on patents for its packaging in the U.S., Canada and Europe. As of August, 2022, annual revenue is $4.5 million.
I will update this page as more information becomes available.
