Nuchas: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

When Ariel Barbouth immigrated to the U.S. from Argentina, it was to become a part of New York's international food scene. A melting pot of ethnic foods from Staten Island to the Bronx, NYC was the perfect place to launch Nuchas, which serves empanadas with a world-cuisine flair. Scoring a prime location for the first Nuchas kiosk in the middle of Times Square, sales and popularity were practically guaranteed. After winning two Vendy awards, Barbouth sought to expand Nuchas, and his confidence in bridging differences through multicultural flavors led him into the open waters of "Shark Tank" — where he received two investment offers and the choice of accepting them or not.

Nuchas originated in 2005 when Barbouth shared a box of empanadas with visiting friends. The hand pies are typically made with ground meat, cheese, and eggs, and are a common fast food in Buenos Aires with centuries worth of history. The idea took shape for bringing this iconic South American food with an international twist to the United States. Nuchas launched in 2009 and found success in Times Square, leading to more locations, a food truck, the purchase of a manufacturing facility, and selling wholesale.

Nuchas offers a convenient meal you can eat on the go, with a compact shape perfect for different flavor combinations. From the bestselling classic Argentine empanada with beef, potatoes, and green olives, to the Philly cheesesteak with layers of meat, provolone, onions, and peppers, all of Nuchas empanadas are baked by hand with non-GMO, premium ingredients.

In April 2019, Barbouth took Nuchas into the "Shark Tank" in Season 10, Episode 18. He pitched his vision for growing the successful business and expanding wholesale production capacity. The Sharks sampled different empanada flavors, which they all enjoyed and eagerly wolfed down. Barbouth then asked for a staggering $2 million dollars for an 8% stake in Nuchas.

The Sharks were stunned by such a high request, and they inquired about sales. They liked the numbers, with Nuchas reaching $5 million in sales that year, and making a profit of $750,000. Retail accounted for $2 million while wholesale brought $3 million. Even more impressive were projected sales for the following year, expected to reach $12 million with a $3 million net profit. With contracts in discussion for airlines to carry Nuchas via private label, Barbouth projected going from producing 100,000 units per week to 300,000.

Neither Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, nor Lori Greiner felt investing in wholesale would be profitable. Shark Daymond John offered $2 million with a 25% stake, but Barbouth was not willing to give up that much of his company. Barbara Corcoran offered a $1 million loan to expand wholesale, and another million outright to purchase the retail division, with her intention of making it a franchise exclusively supplied by Nuchas wholesale. Barbouth was adamant about not giving up the retail end, believing both sides of Nuchas would eventually make a lot of money. Ultimately, he left without a deal.

When negotiations on "Shark Tank" fell through, Barbara Corcoran quipped that Barbouth had let his ego interfere with a business decision. After the show, he spent some time on social media explaining his decision, stating that despite the generous offers, none felt like the right partnership. What may have been taken for a big ego was actually his passion for the brand he had created. Barbouth was dedicated to following his dream rather than giving away all he had built for the sake of money.

A follow-up on the Nuchas website shared that although a "Shark Tank" deal did not manifest, the brand was doing great. Nuchas kiosks were opened in two convention centers: the Jacob Javits Center in NYC, and the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Nuchas has also clinched a deal to put kiosks in 50 sports stadiums and arenas. Online ordering was launched and now Nuchas is shipped nationwide.

Nuchas added the flavors of more international dishes to its product line-up. The full range of empanadas now includes options for meat lovers like Argentine beef, Philly cheesesteak, chipotle or adobo chicken, and Italian sausage. Vegetarian choices are portobello, pizza Margherita, spinach and mozzarella, and spicy cheese — while vegans can enjoy the seitan al pastor and pinto bean. Breakfast varieties are egg and cheese, ham and cheese, and sausage. Sweets are on the menu too, with an apple, cranberry, and Nutella empanada, as well as medialunas, described as mind-blowing Argentinean croissants.

Nuchas is still in operation and thriving. As Barbouth envisioned when he appeared on "Shark Tank," Nuchas can now be found in many more places. Including the two convention centers in New York and Georgia, Nuchas is still serving empanadas in Times Square, and is now also in Greeley Square Park, has a cart on Wall Street, and multiple food trucks and mobile locations.

The Nuchas food truck has been bringing delicious empanadas to all points of NYC and beyond. As a member of the New York Food Truck Association, Nuchas can be booked for catering and is often seen serving tasty treats to thousands of hungry attendees at events like New York Comic Con, AfroPunk, and Anime NYC. In June 2023, Nuchas announced that its food truck can now also be found at the Boston Convention Center.

Nuchas lists among its core values that people are the reason for all it does. This is reflected in the many ways the company gives back to its community. During the lockdown period of the pandemic in 2020, Nuchas fed doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff and frontline workers. For the 2020 election, Nuchas partnered with the organization Pizza To The Polls to give away over 50,000 free empanadas at polling stations, to encourage people to get out and vote. In September 2021, the Nuchas food truck went to Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island to hand out free food to those affected by Hurricane Ida.

As of July 2023, Nuchas has an engaged social media following, with 12K followers on Facebook, and almost 11K on Instagram, which is the only platform being regularly updated. Fans can follow along to be notified of food truck locations and announcements, or to receive occasional discounts and enter giveaways. Barbouth also posts installments of his video series on the history of Nuchas, including its stint on "Shark Tank."

Nuchas continues to grow its customer base, now offering shipping to make it accessible nationwide. The empanadas are shipped frozen, insulated in dry ice. Each six-pack costs $37.99, and there is a two-pack minimum, plus shipping. Shipping is free along much of the East Coast, and quantity discounts are available for up to 30% off.

Barbouth has also fulfilled another part of his vision, one which the "Shark Tank" judges did not share, by expanding his wholesale business. The company is actively seeking wholesale partners to grow its reach in restaurants, specialty markets like Whole Foods, and event spaces. Nuchas offers private labeling, allowing businesses to use their own branding on the empanadas, or offer them unpackaged in places like delis and cafes, buffets, hotels, airports, bars, and pop-ups. Aiming to be the largest company of its kind, Nuchas has been putting the message out there that more wonderful things are on the horizon. Defying predictions of failure by the "Shark Tank" investors, Nuchas continues to succeed, fueled by staying true to its founder's dreams.