Y'all Sweet Tea: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

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Summerville, South Carolina, might be the supposed home of sweet tea, but that didn't stop Alabama-based founders Darien Craig and Brandon Echols from getting into the tea business. When Craig was just a few years out of high school, he used $300 from his last paycheck to upstart his tea business. He then recruited his childhood best friend, Echols, to join him on his sugary business venture. In 2015, they started selling mason jars of their family's recipe at farmers' markets and street fairs. After a few years of vendor markets, they pivoted to manufacturing and selling gallon-sized tea bags that consumers can use to make their own sweet tea at home. In 2021, they rebranded and changed their business name to "Y'all Sweet Tea," paying homage to its Southern roots.

Craig and Echols then discovered that their competitors were not utilizing social media to its full capacity and did a hard marketing pivot to focus on influencers. What set Y'all Sweet Tea's strategy apart is that instead of focusing on young, stylish, "hip" influencers, they instead focused on mature cooking influencers like Brenda Gantt, who has 4 million followers. Their social media strategy worked because they got an impressive amount of sales in the few short years they've been in existence.

What happened to Y'all Sweet Tea on Shark Tank?

When Darien Craig and Brandon Echols appeared on season 16, episode 5, their mission was clear: Raise $500,000 for 5% equity. They came with a very tight presentation for the audience of skeptical Sharks, comprised of Rashaun Williams, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, and Lori Greiner. Each shark had a sample of their original tea, along with a different variety of mango, raspberry, watermelon, strawberry, and Georgia peach, which the Sharks unanimously declared were delicious.

Then the Y'all Sweet Tea founders got into the numbers. The entrepreneurs shared that their sales in their first three years of business were estimated at $10.3 million, with 85% of their sales coming directly from consumers. They explained that boxes of Y'all Sweet Tea cost around $2.50 to produce, were sold wholesale for around $4, and retail on their site from anywhere between $7 and $10.

While the Sharks were pleasantly surprised that Craig and Echols owned 100% of Y'all Sweet Tea, they were disappointed to hear that Y'all Sweet Tea revenue was being spent on advertising. Former NFL player Williams was eager to invest, but he countered at $500k for double the equity. After much back and forth with Mr. Wonderful, who wanted a 20% stake, and Greinier, who was happy splitting 15% with Williams, the tea owners were unsure which of the offers they wanted to take. Finally, Y'all Sweet tea landed on the 15% split between Williams and Grenier.

Y'all Sweet Tea after Shark Tank

It's not uncommon for some entrepreneurs on "Shark Tank," like the creators of Sienna Sauce, to get an offer on TV and then have it not pan out, but that was not the case with Y'all Sweet Tea. Darien Craig confirmed almost immediately that Lori Grenier and Rashaun Williams took their offer seriously, and a contract was penned shortly after the episode's taping.

A week after the episode went live, Y'all Sweet Tea announced on an Instagram post that it got 10,000 orders from "Shark Tank" fans. This boom in sales is what fellow Shark Tank alum Dave Alwan, owner of Echo Valley Meats, calls the "Shark Tank Effect." To make the most of the increase in visitors to their e-commerce site, the tea company started offering special "Shark Tank Bundles" for $37.99 that feature most of the flavors the Sharks had to try during the on-air pitch.

Y'all Sweet Tea has also since expanded to other products, like seasonings. Boasting that its seasonings like Bama Burger, Southern Secret, and Sweet Meat are all "blended with the best ingredients right here in Alabama," it's clear the brand intends to be synonymous with Southern cooking (via Y'all Sweet Tea). Speaking of brand recognition, Y'all Sweet Tea also has an extensive line of apparel and accessories, like branded pitchers, hoodies, and even pickleball paddles.

Is Y'all Sweet Tea still in business?

Y'all Sweet Tea's online presence shows a thriving business as it publishes multiple engaging video posts a week across social channels. In October of 2025, the brand took to Instagram to announce that it had sold its millionth bag of tea, along with a special giveaway. In honor of that accomplishment, Y'all Sweet Tea's made 5,000 blue and gold limited edition bags, with one select bag being just Gold. The customer who receives the gold bag will be awarded with a lifetime supply of Y'all Sweet Tea. With the first comment on the post being "Let's Go" from Williams, the shark who invested in the company, it's clear that one year later, their relationship is still going strong (via Instagram).

As for the giveaway promotion, just a few days later, the website reported that they had completely sold out of the 1,000,000th edition bags, meaning people had quickly purchased the entire stock of 5,000 specialized bags.

It's no wonder that the business was projected to reach over $5 million in sales by the end of 2024. As of October 2025, you can purchase bags of Y'all's Sweet Tea on Amazon for about $19, but the tea is not available for sale at any of the big box stores like Walmart or Target. However, you can find bags of Y'all Sweet Tea for sale at Southern regional grocery stores like Piggly Wiggly and Foodland.

What's next for Y'all Sweet Tea

As for what's next, it's clear that founders Darien Craig and Brandon Echols are just getting started. Outside of expanding into seasoning and accessory apparel categories, the duo has also expanded the flavor lineup with options like Blackberry Blast and Blueberry Bliss. But the brand has also collabed with other businesses to create more unique offerings. Golden Rule Bar-B-Q and Grill partnered with the Alabamian tea company to produce three barbecue sauces: Mango Tango Tea BBQ Sauce, Georgia Peach BBQ Sauce, and Strawberry Splash Bash Tea BBQ Sauce — retailing for about $5 a bottle. In fact, Golden Rule even carried some generic Y'all Sweet Tea merch — including things like giant cups, tongs for tea brewing, and measuring jugs.

Y'all Sweet Tea also has a partnership with digital creator Mama Sue (aka Sue Garrett). While the Southern cooking influencer made a cameo endorsement during the beverage brand's televised "Shark Tank" pitch, their continued association runs deep. As a part of a winter promotion, Y'all partnered with Mama Sue's Hot Chocolate – a powdered mix that comes in 20-ounce bags, on sale for $9.99. Y'all Sweet Tea knows its audience, and other smart collaborations may be in the company's future.

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