Heidi Ho Cheese Net Worth, Where to buy, Cheese, Ingredients, Shark Tank
Heidi Ho Cheese Net Worth, Where to buy, Cheese, Ingredients, Shark Tank – Over its 15-season run, “Shark Tank” has seen numerous plant-based companies pitch their ideas. While not every pitch succeeded, some landed some of the best deals in the show’s history. For instance, Umaro Foods’ plant-based bacon secured a million-dollar investment from Mark Cuban, and Numilk, a vegan milk company, walked away with two million dollars — twice their initial ask. Among these successful pitches was Heidi Ho, featured in Season 6, Episode 9, where co-founder Heidi Lovig made the fastest deal on the show at that time.
Lovig’s journey into veganism began while managing an eco-hostel and organic farm in Hawaii. She later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu. However, it was her task of designing a vegan menu for a restaurant in Portland that sparked the idea for Heidi Ho. During her search for vegan cheese options, Lovig found that most available products were either heavily processed or made from low-quality ingredients like fat, starch, and artificial flavoring.
What happened to Heidi Ho?
When Heidi Lovig entered the “Shark Tank,” she quickly impressed the Sharks with her plant-based cheeses. Despite Mr. Wonderful’s reservations about pairing vegan cheese with wine, it took Lovig just five minutes to secure a deal. While viewers typically see only a small portion of the hours spent filming a pitch, Lovig revealed to Vegan Business Media that her segment took no more than 14 minutes to tape.
At the time of her appearance, Heidi Ho was already available in four regions of Whole Foods Market, with plans to expand to five more. Lovig believed her company was on the verge of significant growth and needed a $125,000 investment to support this expansion. She offered the Sharks a 20% stake in her business in exchange for their investment.
Although Heidi Ho’s lifetime sales of $245,000 added appeal to the deal, it was the flavor and texture of the cheese that ultimately won over Lori Greiner. “I just ate the entire thing that you gave me and more, Robert’s going into more, Mark loved it … you know, Heidi, I’m going to make you an offer because I love it so much,” Greiner said, offering $125,000 for 30% equity. As the other Sharks quickly backed out without much discussion, Lovig eagerly accepted Greiner’s offer, making Heidi Ho’s pitch one of the fastest in “Shark Tank” history.
Is Heidi still in business?
After appearing on “Shark Tank,” things seemed to be going well for Heidi Ho. Sales soared, prompting the company to move from its 900-square-foot production facility to a larger one and hire more employees to meet rising demand. The plant-based cheeses even made it to Costco, and new products like smoked bourbon, queso, and beer-infused “cheeze” dips were launched. In 2018, Heidi Ho secured additional investment from Blue Horizon Corporation.
However, the company’s fortunes took a downturn. As of now, Heidi Ho’s website is inactive, and there has been no social media activity since August 11, 2020, suggesting the business has ceased operations. The reasons for this decline were hinted at in the company’s last social media post. Celebrating Heidi Ho’s tenth anniversary, Lovig acknowledged that the years leading up to 2020 had been filled with significant challenges.
Covid-19 has introduced new hurdles for the plant-based cheese business, and Lovig mentioned she was “looking at ways to pivot and looking for ways to thrive in this climate.” Despite the outpouring of love and support from “Shark Tank” viewers eager to try Heidi Ho’s cheeses, it appears the company has closed its doors for now.
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