This Costco Frozen Appetizer Was Featured On Shark Tank

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While perusing Costco's food selection, it's unlikely "Shark Tank" comes to mind. After all, the retailer's extensive use of private labels matched with a highly-curated item stock doesn't exactly reminisce of the show's startup culture. Yet swing by the freezer aisle, and there is an appetizer featured on "Shark Tank" – Brazi Bites Brazilian Cheese Bread.

The food product — first created in 2009 by husband-wife duo Cameron MacMullin and Junea Rocha – appeared on season 7 of the show, which aired in 2015. A packaged version of Brazilian cheese bread (Pão de Queijo in Portuguese), the food's success is easy-to-understand. A Pão De Queijo recipe requires tricky assembly by way of an uber-sticky cassava-flour-based dough.

Yet conveniently, Costco sells 62 of these cheese balls under $20, with the food ready to pop into an oven or air fryer at a moment's notice. In fact, you don't even need to thaw the bread; simply heat it for 20 minutes, and you get a batch of mouth-watering bites. So whether you're a "Shark Tank" fan or want a fun new snack, look out for the T.V. famous product.

What happened to Brazi Bites after "Shark Tank" isn't a trajectory typical for the show. Although the founding duo secured a deal with Lori Greiner on screen, the offer never firmed up. However, the appearance on air — during which Sharks enthusiastically reacted to the cheese balls — immediately boosted sales. By 2016, the company already manufactured some 50 million cheese balls (per Brazi Bites). Furthermore, at the time of the "Shark Tank" premiere, small batches of Brazi Bites were already being sold at Costco.

According to Reddit, certain Costco locations will trial new items, testing consumer reactions to gauge further expansion. The store's free samples are a genius money-making strategy for multiple reasons — including as a way to promote exposure for small brands. Coupled with Brazi Bites's savviness in quickly scaling production, the two secured a partnership now over a decade old. Sure, today you can also buy the food at ubiquitous retailers like Walmart, Whole Foods, and Amazon. Yet for the often lowest price – and extra-large containers — you can't go wrong with picking up a bag of Brazi Bites at Costco.