Rosa Li presents Wildwonder, her prebiotic and probiotic drink line, in Shark Tank episode 1411. This is the second entrepreneurial venture for the Stanford Business School graduate. The first was Rosali Tea, an artisanal tea business she ran from 2015 – 2017. She started Wildwonder in 2018 and officially launched in 2020. The drinks are sparkling and include vegan probiotics, prebiotic plant fiber, and super herbs. As she likes to say: “Think kombucha benefits without the vinegary taste or refined sugar.”
The inspiration for the drinks came from her Chinese grandmother, who was always concocting tonics with wild herbs and botanicals. Originally, she called the business Tea Crush but rebranded it to Wildwonder in 2020. Flavors include Mango Gold, Strawberry Passion, Peach Ginger, Pineapple Paradise, Raspberry Lychee, and Guava Rose. All flavors promote good gut health, and they cost $42 for a 12-pack, which is 12% less if you opt for the subscription option. They’re a company with a conscience, too: 5% of their profits go towards empowering women and marginalized communities.
In September 2021, the company raised seed funding. The brand was initially distributed in southern California, but the seed funding allowed Rosa to expand. In 2022, you can buy the beverages at over 800 Sprouts and Farmers Market stores nationwide or on Amazon. 2023 will see the brand roll out in The Fresh Market, Fresh Thyme Market, Erewhon, Jimbo’s Natural Family, Mother’s Market & Kitchen, Lassens Natural Foods & Vitamins, LLC, Bristol Farms, Market of Choice and Whole Foods Markets. Rosa likely wants a Shark’s help with inventory and further expanding retail distribution.
About Wildwonder
| Category | Details |
| Founder (Plural if multiple) | Rosa Li |
| Product Type | Sparkling Pre and Probiotic Drinks |
| Funding (Pre-Shark Tank) | $2.1 million |
| Investment Asked | $500,000 |
| Equity Offered | 5% |
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What Happened on the Shark Tank Episode?
Rosa enters the Tank and tells the Sharks that her grandma gave her the idea of food as medicine at an early age. She brewed healing tonics that were good for Rosa’s health. Rosa worked stressful jobs and felt it in her body, especially in her gut. That’s when she brewed up Wildwonder. She pops open a can and starts describing the flavors. She tells the Sharks she’s seeking $500,000 for 5% of her business.
The Sharks taste their samples. Everyone can have 5 grams of prebiotic fiber. Rosa wants to expand the market for people who drink kombucha but don’t like the fermented taste and as a healthy alternative to soda. Each can has 35 calories—90% less sugar than soda and 50% less sugar than kombucha.
At this point, Tony Xu asks Rosa if they went to school together, and Rosa thanks him for remembering. Next, she talks about growing up in China. Her grandparents raised her until she was 12, while her parents immigrated to the USA. When Rosa came to the USA at age 12, she didn’t know any English, and in 3 years, she was on the debate team at school. As a college sophomore, she secured a finance internship at Goldman Sachs. She worked there after college in venture capital, and she tells the Sharks she knows how to get them a return on their dollar.
She launched the business in 2020 and had large purchase orders going to companies like Google and Facebook. Then, Covid happened. This wiped out her entire revenue stream. She went out and, in 2 months, knocked on doors at over 200 grocery stores and got into over 100 of them, including her region of Whole Foods.
Let’s Talk Numbers
Mr. Wonderful questions her $10 million valuation. He says 100 stores is nothing in the beverage industry. As of summer 2022, Wildwonder generated $1.1 million in revenue, but the company was not yet profitable. She’ll have a major announcement in the next 30 days. Right now, she’s focused on growing gross margins. Each can cost 90 cents to make retails for $3.49, but by the end of the year, she can get costs down to 70 cents. She raised $2.1 million in 2021 and has investors putting in money now for future equity.
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What Makes Wildwonder Unique?
Do you ever feel like whenever you are stressed or under pressure, it starts affecting your gut? And it isn’t the best idea to always turn to medications for recovery, as that might have some side effects in the long term. Rosa Li’s Wildwonder drinks are the perfect solution to this problem.
- The recipe is inspired by her grandmother. The beverages have natural gut-healing properties; they are very healthy for your body.
- Her drinks contain live vegan probiotics and prebiotic plant fiber, which are great for gut microbiome health.
- The beverages taste fresh as they are made using real fruit juices and freshly brewed herbs.
- Unlike other processed juices, Wildwonder drinks have a low amount of sugar and calories.
- The product is USDA-certified organic and vegan.
- As the drinks are made from traditional recipes that belong to a specific culture, they hold a unique heritage.
Find more posts about different businesses that appeared on Shark Tank on the Shark Tank Blog. Also, read the article Wild Wonder – Pre and Pro Biotic Drinks for additional information about the company Wildwonder.
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Did Wildwonder Get a Deal on Shark Tank?
Kevin doesn’t like the valuation and is out. Although he admits the product is actually one of the best he has ever tasted, he even compliments the entrepreneur, saying he admires her and that her story is incredible, but 5% is not enough for him.
Lori says the risk doesn’t match the reward; she’s out. She points out that it is a “very, very, very” big market.
Mark likes the drinks; he says he could drink them all day. He even finished a can right there. However, when it comes to investing, at such a small percentage, he can’t see the upside, so he’s out.
Barbara has lost money on two beverage deals already; her attorney will not like it if she repeats the same mistake. With that, she goes out.
Tony agrees with the other Sharks about the struggle of investing in this particular business for a small equity stake. However, he still offers a deal—he proposes to invest $500,000 for 9%. Tony admits he isn’t very much into the beverage business, but he understands how to scale capital-efficient businesses in a very sequential way to make them successful.
Rosa counters with $500,000 for 6% and 3% advisory shares. Tony agrees, and they finalize the deal on-air.
What Happened to Wildwonder After Shark Tank?
The Shark Tank Blog keeps track of the businesses that appear on Shark Tank. We provide updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs and the company, as well as anything that happened after the show. Shark Tank fans accused this of being a “fake pitch” since Tony and Rosa knew each other previously.
In the aftermath of the original air date, Rosa sold a TON of drinks. Wildwonder is available in over 1,300 Sprouts and Fresh Market stores nationwide. Rosa is making inroads at other grocery stores. The evidence indicates that the deal with Tony was close. As of May 2023, there is no reliable revenue information.
Additionally, their follower count has been steadily increasing on Instagram and other social media platforms, indicating growing popularity.
The Shark Tank Blog will provide updates on Wildwonder and Rosa Li as more details become available.
Where Can You Buy It?
Boost your gut health with Wildwonder’s sparkling beverages, available on their official website. Ditch the sugary sodas and find a delicious, healthy alternative by ordering Wildwonder from Amazon.
For more information about the company and their probiotic drinks, visit their website. Stay updated on their latest flavors and wellness tips by following them on social media.
Quick Summary
- Rosa Li, founder of Wildwonder, pitches her pre and probiotic drink line to the Sharks in episode 1411
- She enters Shark Tank seeking $500,000 for 5% equity.
- The Sharks are impressed with the product but have concerns about the $10 million valuation and profitability.
More products from this episode! Check out other businesses that participated alongside Wildwonder.
