FryAway: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

The crispy crunch and mouthwatering flavor of fried food make it hard to resist, but frying means you have to deal with the oil afterward, whether it's the best frying oil for homemade french fries or the top choice for frying fish without changing the flavor. Pouring it down the sink isn't good for your plumbing or for sewer systems — just Google "fatberg," and you'll see what we mean. And freezing it in a can or jar just delays disposal. Even if you filter and store it because you reuse your cooking oil, you'll eventually have to get rid of it. Entrepreneur Laura Lady created a powder that solidifies the used oil, so it can simply be tossed in the trash, and pitched her company, called FryAway, on "Shark Tank" in January 2023.

The seeds of FryAway were planted in 2017 when Lady learned about a massive 130-ton fatberg that had amassed in London's sewers. She'd never heard of them before, but as someone who loves cooking and cares about the environment, she remembered the story. When she didn't know how to dispose of the oil after frying chicken at a house with a septic tank during COVID, she decided to try to solve the problem. She was inspired by Japanese products that solidify oil, creating her own version in her kitchen.

All of the Sharks were impressed by Lady, who had an 18-year career as a marketer for big toy brands and began her presentation with an attention-getting fatberg photo. They also applauded FryAway's performance since she'd founded the business a year earlier.

Laura Lady went on "Shark Tank" seeking a $250,000 investment for a 10% FryAway stake. She presented the non-toxic, 100% plant-based powder as an easy, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of cooking oil, avoiding the fatberg danger to sewer systems and water supplies. The powder is stirred into hot oil, which then solidifies as it cools, allowing it to be lifted out of the pan and thrown away. It's based on hydrogenation, the same process used for margarine and vegetable shortening, which turns liquid fat solid with hydrogen.

Lady launched FryAway in July 2021 and told the Sharks to their cheers that it racked up nearly $700,000 in sales in the year since (the episode was taped in September 2022), and had a positive cash flow after just two months. They also liked hearing her costs were only 96 cents for $9.99 pouches, ranging up to $1.96 for $15.99 ones. She'd begun selling on Shopify, but said Amazon was what really propelled FryAway, and shared that plans were for it to soon be in 1,100 Kroger supermarkets.

Mark Cuban said the product was a great idea and called Lady a "star," but was initially reluctant, citing healthier eating trends (per YouTube). But Lori Greiner labeled her a "dream entrepreneur" and proposed a $250,000 investment for a 20% stake, after which Cuban asked his fellow Shark if she wanted to work together. Greiner said it should then be 25%, but Cuban came down to 22% for both of them, and Lady accepted. Although the other Sharks passed, with Kevin O'Leary and Robert Herjavec not interested in a fried food-related product, they also praised Lady.

Sales of FryAway shot up immediately after the "Shark Tank" episode. Lady said on Joe Pardo's podcast three months later, in April 2023, that her family spent the weekend after it first aired on a Friday packing orders that came in, since she still produced one product at her New Hampshire home. She also said she'd prepared when she was notified that the episode was going to be on, including by setting up a new warehouse. But four days after the show, an ice storm shut down everything in Dallas, where the warehouse and her manufacturing were both located. All the orders that were coming in were delayed, and USPS shipping also got backed up. In response, she either sent every affected customer an individual email or called them.

That August, Lady said on The Small Business Radio Show that FryAway would be in 7,000 stores before the end of the year, and that the number just kept increasing. However, she also shared that they were growing the company moderately and strategically based on where they thought it would sell best and what they could do financially. 

She later revealed in November on The E-Comm Show podcast that the investment from Sharks Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner ended up not happening. She said they had all decided that it "wasn't the best path forward for either of us," and shared that she wasn't looking for other funding. But she acknowledged that the show had raised a lot of awareness of FryAway and continued to do so as people kept seeing it in streaming and reruns.

FryAway is still operating as of October 2025, and although its net worth and revenue aren't public, it appears to be chugging along. It sells the same three products it did before Lady was on "Shark Tank": Pan Fry packets for two cups of oil, Deep Fry packets for eight cups, and use-what-you-need Super Fry that comes with a scoop. In addition to online sales at Amazon and its own website, FryAway is now available at retailers Walmart, Meijer, Food City, Hyvee, Scheels, and Ingles. The company is active on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, frequently showing what FryAway is and how it works, and regularly posting available sales and discounts on its social media sites.

Magazine articles and customer reviews have praised FryAway. A Food & Wine article, just a few months after "Shark Tank" in June 2023, called it the "most convenient, accessible, and sustainable option" of all oil solidifiers available. The magazine also named it one of its "15 Game Changers Shaping the Way We Eat" that same month. Meanwhile, Amazon reviewers commend that it's not messy and is easy to use, and say it delivers on what it promises. The biggest complaint is needing to measure the amount of oil someone uses to know how much product needs to go in — but the product has 4.4 stars out of 5.

FryAway hasn't announced any plans for future changes or new products, but the company continues to make moves to expand its reach. Lady appeared on QVC for the first time in September 2025, and some 1,900 orders were placed during her 10-minute appearance. The company also regularly works to try to get stocked in more retail stores, and recently debuted on Amazon UK. The company continues to get attention from the "Shark Tank" episode as well, touting it on social media whenever it's re-aired.

Whatever the future holds, FryAway is remaining true to its principles. A printing snafu earlier in 2025 created product pouches that were purple and orange instead of the usual white and orange. While you never want to mess with your brand's look unless you've planned a change, the company decided to do the eco-friendly thing and use the purple pouches as limited-edition packaging instead of throwing them all out.