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Couple turned lockdown cooking experiment into $300K startup — but ‘Shark Tank’ said no for one big reason

Arya and Tasha Alexander loved Beef Wellington, but making it was a task. So they came up with its ready-to-bake alternative on ‘Shark Tank.’

Being locked inside houses during the recent pandemic made people experiment with a lot of dishes, be it the Dalgona coffee that became a trend or the Beef Wellington, a dish that contestants Arya and Tasha Alexander brought on 'Shark Tank'. According to Shark Tank Recap, the couple tried making Beef Wellington at home during COVID-19 and soon realized that the dish took too much time to prepare. While experimenting in their kitchen, the Alexanders came up with a ready-to-bake alternative. 

Introducing the product to the investors, they detailed how their product, Wellingtons, came with different fillings, was easy to cook and enjoyable. Tasha asked the sharks, “Have any of you ever tried making a beef wellington? If you have, you’d know that it's incredibly complicated and time-consuming, which is why most people only have it at a restaurant or on a special occasion.” She further explained, “We thought there had to be a simpler way to enjoy our favorite dish at home. So we set out to make Wellingtons. Incredible frozen beef wellingtons shipped directly to you.”

Seeking $200,000 for 10% equity, they told the sharks that they needed investment to shift to direct-to-consumer sales. With the money, they even aimed to build a more sustainable business. Talking about the flavors, Wellingtons offered a Cheeseburger Welly, a Breakfast Welly, and a Hazelnut and Chocolate Welly. Meanwhile, they even had a line of bite-sized Welly Bites. These Wellingtons had Buffalo Chicken and Cheeseburger flavors.  Impressed by the taste, the sharks asked for the cost.

Arya and Tasha mentioned that the Classic Welly retails for $35 and costs $9.41 to make. While Wellingtons was being sold through the Alexanders’ website, they even sold through Goldbelly. Through the Goldbelly platform, they sold a 4-pack of the Classic Welly for $169, including shipping. Talking sales, the Alexanders stated that a year before filming, their business had done $313,000 in sales, but they lost $260,000. It was Kevin O’Leary who first dropped out of making any deal, stating that the company would never make money with the business model they were working with. Mr. Wonderful also mentioned that he had already invested in something similar, which is why he cannot invest. Michael Rubin, the guest shark of the night, stated that the business was too early for him to invest.

The shark also advised Arya and Tasha to go for direct-to-consumer sales and not work with a third-party site. He too opted out. Mark Cuban expressed that the company would never scale by simply sticking to the website. He suggested connecting with party planners and event coordinators, but chose not to go ahead with it. Lori Greiner said that she was not that passionate about the product. She explained that although she did eat meat, she was not a big fan of the dish, so she backed out as well. Barbara Corcoran asked the contestants what exactly they were looking for in a shark. To which Tasha and Arya stated they needed help with distribution channels and access to co-packers. Although Corcoran gave it a thought, she ultimately dropped out, leaving Arya and Tasha in dismay as they left without a deal.