Must Love on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who are the founders and all about the healthy nice cream
A few years ago being a vegan was considered a dietary fad, but today it's a whole lifestyle. From food to clothing, vegans make sure that there's no animal-based or animal-derived product in anything they use. While there are several vegan alternatives to foods from plant-based meat to plant-based milk that can easily take care of one's cravings, things get a bit tricky when it comes to desserts, especially ice cream.
Best friends Hannah Hong and Mollie Cha always struggled to find a delicious vegan ice cream aka nice cream, which led them to launch their brand called Must Love. The two entrepreneurs will soon be making their big debut on the upcoming episode of 'Shark Tank' where they will be pitching their 100 percent plant-based 'nice cream' to the Sharks - Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, and guest Shark Peter Jones. If you're curious to know more about Must Love, the current update on the brand, and also our guess on which Shark might close the deal, then read on.
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What is Must Love?
Must Love is a Los Angeles-based nice cream company founded by best friends, UC Berkeley graduates, and second-generation Korean Americans, Hannah, and Mollie. The duo was interested in making plant-based choices but quickly realized plant-based didn't necessarily mean healthy. So, they founded Must Love in 2016 to bring a new product to market for those looking to make healthier choices when it comes to frozen desserts, taking the Pinterest trend called "nice cream" and turning it into a viable product found in grocery stores nationwide. Made with real, simple ingredients and minimal refined sugar, Must Love offers banana and oat milk-based nice creams in crave-worthy flavors like Peanut Butter Swirl and Choco Choco Chip. Must Love makes plant-based everyday indulgences accessible to families everywhere. "Must Love brings all the creamy, indulgent nostalgia you want from ice cream, but without the dairy. We use all-natural, real ingredients to satisfy your sweet tooth," reads the brand's website.
All Must Love nice creams are:
Plant-based: All the ingredients used in the nice cream are 100 per cent plant-based and natural.
Sweetened with fruit: Unlike the other ice-creams available in the market, Must Love's nice creams aren't loaded with refined sugar. The brand's ice cream base is sweetened with either dates or coconut.
Who are the founders?
Hannah Hong and Mollie Cha are the brains behind Must Love. The brand's website gives us a detailed story of how the two best friends stumbled upon the idea of launching Must Love. "It was friendship at first sight, and we have been best friends for over 15 years, through college, first jobs, weddings, and more. One thing that changed over those years was our dietary needs - we both became lactose intolerant in our early 20s. One thing that hasn't changed - our sweet tooth."
"After dinner one day, Mollie made something known as banana nice cream for dessert. Frozen bananas in a food processor with a splash of almond milk. After the first bite, Hannah said to Mollie, "This is BANANAS!" We call this our "lightning striking" moment because we immediately understood why this needed to exist in the world in an easier to eat form. It hit all our needs and more: dairy-free, simple ingredients, really delicious," they explained.
But it wasn't an easy journey for the two ladies, as they had to create several test batches to perfect the recipe. "Of course, we froze that very first batch in our home freezer and the next day realized why no one packages it like this. It was terrible! Super hard, impossible to scoop. But we stayed true to the ethos of our inspiration and made batch after batch of homemade nice cream, our poor husbands eating bowls and bowls of so-so tasting batches. After many batches, we finally got a scoopable, delicious recipe down. That week, Hannah quit her job. Mollie took more convincing but joined Hannah full-time later that year. And, we created Must Love."
What is the cost and where to buy Must Love from?
Must Love currently offers three products: pints of nice cream, frozen dipped nice cream bars, and sprinkles. The pints cost $12 and come in four flavors: Banilla, Choco Choco Chip, Cashew Cookie, and Double Chocolate Chip. A box of four bars is also $12 and comes in four flavors: Vanilla Banilla, Chocolate, and Crunchy Peanut Swirl. In addition to bananas, the products contain oat milk and coconut. The sprinkles retail for $2.50, while the variety pack costs $20. You can purchase Must Love nice creams from the brand's website here.
Where is Must Love now?
The brand launched its latest product - Sprinkles in July 2021. In an Instagram post announcing the new launch, the brand shared, "👋 Say hello to our newest treat – Must Love Sprinkles! These 11 fun sprinkles are everything you need to top off the perfect birthday cake 🎂 the yummiest donuts 🍩 a delicious bowl of (n)ice cream 🍨 and more! Our sprinkles come in two lines — Matte and Shimmer ✨ they are 100% plant-based, non-GMO, and dye-free. Bright pops of color come from nature, spices, and vegetables, NOT artificial dyes."
Who will steal the deal?
Kevin O'Leary or Lori Greiner might steal the deal. The brand's sales numbers and profit margins will ultimately be the major deciding factor for the sharks on whether to invest in the business or not. So, we will just have to wait and watch to see if the Sharks even make a deal.
'Shark Tank' Season 13 Episode 11 airs on ABC on January 14, 2022, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Must Love, Vabroom, Roq Innovation, and Romper Jack.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.