Pricklee: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

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The dealmakers on "Shark Tank" have seen many beverages in the 15-plus years the show has been on the air. Drink deals are a hard sell in the Tank, but the innovators behind them occasionally strike gold and get an offer from a Shark. Apple-cider-vinegar soda brand Poppi and game-changing alcohol brand BeatBox Beverages are two of the show's most successful beverage deals, and up-and-comers like wildwonder, the first gut health drink to combine probiotics and prebiotics, have also found success. On Season 13, Episode 22, airing May 13, 2022, another beverage pitched its products to the Sharks in hopes of securing a deal.

Asking $200,000 for 5% equity in their company, friends and co-founders Kun Yang and Mo Hassoun pitched Pricklee Cactus Water, which utilizes the drought-tolerant plant prickly pear cactus. It's "Mother Nature's ultimate thirst quencher," containing half the sugar and half the calories of coconut water, Yang told the Sharks (via YouTube). The duo explained that cactus water is a new category in the beverage market with few other competitors.

The drink was a product of sentimentality and fond childhood memories. Hassoun was in a market in Boston when he saw prickly pears for sale. This gave him a moment of nostalgia where he reflected on his grandmother, who would make prickly pear juice for him back in Lebanon. It was there that he decided to replicate the beverage himself. His friends, including Yang, tried the drink, and "immediately, we just knew that this was something special," Yang said (per YouTube).

Present in the "Shark Tank" during Pricklee's debut were Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, and guest panelist Emma Grede. The Pricklee entrepreneurs entered with an entourage of mascots dressed as cactuses, introducing their beverage as a product set to unseat coconut water. Each judge was able to try three flavors of Pricklee Cactus Water, which received positive responses.

Calling beverage deals "brutal," O'Leary emphasized that many drink brands attempt to forge deals on "Shark Tank," and one key problem they all encounter is distribution difficulties. Corcoran agreed, calling it a dangerous category. One by one, each Shark declined — except O'Leary.

Prefacing with the statement, "I hate beverage deals," O'Leary nonetheless made the duo an offer of $200,000 for 20% of their business (via YouTube). Kun Yang countered by asking O'Leary how he foresaw them repaying his investment under those terms. O'Leary said ramping up to $50 million in sales on the East Coast and then getting bought out by a bigger player was their "long shot" pathway to success. Corcoran interjected that it wasn't that easy and called O'Leary a "bully" (per YouTube). She advised the entrepreneurs to make him a counteroffer.

Yang asked O'Leary if he would consider their original ask, $200,000 in exchange for 5% equity, but as a line of credit and coming on board as an advisor. O'Leary said he would drop to 10%, but he wanted royalties. In an about-face, Corcoran told the Pricklee founders she would take the new offer of extending a line of credit in exchange for 5% equity. At Grede's urging, the pair accepted.

Following Pricklee's appearance on "Shark Tank," it began ramping up its presence in retail stores. Pre-Tank, its only retail distribution was through UNFI and regional distributors in the Northeastern United States. Following the show's airing, distribution agreements were forged with several retailers across the nation, like Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market, the latter of which placed the company's products in all stores nationwide.

Shortly after "Shark Tank," the Pricklee founders also undertook some rebranding of their beverage packaging. Comparing the drink to coconut water was a big part of the entrepreneurs' pitch, and the drink cans mimicked the design commonly found on big brands of coconut water. The revamped containers featured much brighter colors and a desert landscape, better visually distinguishing Pricklee as a product in its own lane.

Some other notable happenings post-"Shark Tank" included Pricklee netting a celebrity product ambassador in 2022, when former NFL player and WWE pro wrestler Sabby Piscitelli came on board. The brand further marked a major milestone in 2023 by selling its one-millionth can.

Pricklee is still actively in business as of May 2025. At publication, the company's products are being sold via 1,134 retail outlets in the United States, including one location in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Pricklee has the same flavors originally presented on "Shark Tank:" Prickly Pear Original, Tropical Mango + Ginger, and Wild Strawberry + Hibiscus — though it does now also sell company-branded merchandise via its website. 

In addition to offering its drinks at retail outlets, the company sells 12-packs on its website, and you can buy a multipack on Amazon. Pricklee has also initiated a direct-to-consumer subscription option, giving customers a 15% discount and free shipping for signing up to receive ongoing auto-shipped orders. The company further offers wholesale options.

Pricklee has netted accolades and other major television appearances since being on "Shark Tank." The product was named Best Water Alternative as part of Good Housekeeping's 2024 Best Snack Awards. The brand was also featured as part of "Good Morning America's" Top 5 Food Trends of 2025, and The Food Institute recognized Pricklee as one of the 5 Standout Innovative Brands from Natural Products Expo West. Whole Foods, which now carries the company's products in all of its West Coast stores, additionally named the company's drinks among its Top 10 Food & Beverage Trends for 2025.

Pricklee seems to be on an even and consistent development path. In addition to actively promoting its products in nationwide stores, the company has been consistently pursuing growth opportunities and attending major industry trade shows.

In 2024, the brand was accepted as one of eight participating companies in PepsiCo's Greenhouse Accelerator Program, which elevates innovative, high-potential food and beverage brands that are committed to sustainability. Pricklee was also chosen to participate in Whole Foods Market's "On the Verge" accelerator program, which helps foster the brand growth of products currently sold by Whole Foods.

Kun Yang, now CEO of the company, announced in May 2025, via LinkedIn, that Pricklee has been selected as a top five finalist in NielsenIQ's Founders Pitch Slam 2025. This elite competition enables the founders of consumer packaged goods companies to pitch their businesses to industry bigwigs. In addition to receiving invaluable exposure for their companies, participants vie for more than $700,000 in prizes. One of the judges of the event will be "Shark Tank" star Daymond John, who was not in the Tank at the time of Pricklee's appearance but whom Yung met at a 2025 trade show.

Pricklee's execs seem to have applied some of the advice the Sharks offered during the taping of their episode. Emphasis on the company's sustainability has been amped up, which the Sharks said was a missed opportunity for the brand. Pricklee is now consistently promoting the drought-resistant qualities of its drinks' foundational ingredient, as well as the low greenhouse gas emissions associated with growing the crops. The recyclable aluminum cans used in packaging Pricklee products are being touted, as well.