Delighted By Dessert Hummus: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

Makenzie Marzluff had no experience in the food industry when she created Delighted by Dessert Hummus in 2015. Although the entrepreneur had a smoothie bar in Arizona, she admits that she was green in the realm of food production. She got the idea to market sweet hummus after she brought a cookie dough flavored chickpea dip to a Super Bowl party which delighted the guests. After developing eight different flavors, she began to market the dips, dubbed Delighted By, at farmers markets and eventually to Wegmans markets.

Marzluff reached out to "Shark Tank" in hopes of securing a deal that would help her spread her dessert hummus around the country. She asked for a steep $600,000 in exchange for a 12% share of her company. At the time of her appearance, sweet hummus was a new concept, a fact that intrigued the investor Sharks which included guest Shark, Alex Rodriguez. In the end, two of them believed in Marzluff's products enough to take a chance and make an offer that would, hopefully, result in a successful partnership and thriving hummus business.

After introducing herself and her products, Marzluff let the Sharks sample her hummus products which, like traditional hummus, were made from chickpeas but miraculously tasted like dessert. She explained the nutritional qualities of the hummus, explaining that they were made from non-GMO ingredients, were vegan, gluten-free, and relatively low in sugar. The Sharks admitted that they were delighted and impressed with the flavors and the fact that the company had $1 million in gross sales in just over a year of business. Among Marzluff's concerns that led her to coming on Shark Tank were that she was having trouble with the branding (was it a dessert product or a hummus product?), growth, and hiring employees.

When it came to the amount of money she was asking for, some of the Sharks stated that they believed Marzluff's valuation of her company was too high, including Rodriguez who was the first investor to bow out of negotiations. Barbara Corcoran followed suit, believing that Marzluff wouldn't be a strong team leader when it came to employees. Lori Greiner saw potential issues with distribution and also dropped out. Because Kevin O'Leary thought Marzluff's valuation was inflated, he offered her $600,000 as a loan. Mark Cuban also offered the amount Marzluff was asking for, but as equity and he wanted a 25% stake in the business. After some consideration, Marzluff accepted Cuban's offer.

Despite achieving the difficult task of receiving and accepting an offer on "Shark Tank," it appears that the deal never came to fruition. However, the exposure on the show helped Delighted By Dessert Hummus sales to skyrocket and it was the first dessert hummus to be sold nationally at stores like Target, Whole Foods, and Publix. Marzluff and her company were also featured on "LIVE with Kelly," and in Cosmopolitan and Oprah Magazines. 

Marzluff decided to sell Delighted By Hummus exclusively online in 2021 after finding that a number of similar, knockoff products were hitting the market, affecting the exclusivity of her brand in supermarkets. She moved the manufacturing facility to Bozeman, Montana, and added jam and vegan/gluten-free brownies to the product line. In 2022, Delighted By moved from selling its hummus ready-made to DIY kits for customers to order and create at home.

It appears that neither Delighted By Dessert Hummus nor the brownies or jams can be ordered, as its website link currently leads to an empty page. Furthermore, there are no recent posts from the company on its social media pages. However, it appears that Marzluff created other food and drink products. An article in Shoutout LA explains that she spearheaded Request Bar, which makes plant-based protein bars, and Kakao Drinking Chocolate. According to Request Bar, the company is now under new ownership but Marzluff and her husband continue to operate Kakao, a non-profit that makes drinking chocolate products and partners with farmers in Central and South America to protect native cacao trees.

In 2020, Marzluff published a book titled, "How To Lead a Badass Business From The Heart" which essentially explained how entrepreneurs could run a successful business and remain true to their beliefs and desires. In it, she shared her own personal journey, including her experience founding Delighted By Dessert Hummus.

Outside of being involved in Kakao, it's unclear if Marzluff is currently involved in any other businesses. Her personal website is blank and the latest media mentions of her date back to 2022. From articles and interviews like one from GoSolo, it's obvious that she is a spiritual individual who lets her inspirations and visions guide her in her business ventures, and perhaps she is working on her next one now.

Regardless, Marzluff is undoubtedly a "Shark Tank" success story. It is no easy feat selling a business to billionaire investors on the show and to receive not one, but two deal offers from the likes of Mark Cuban and the ruthless Kevin O'Leary (aka Mr. Wonderful) is something that many entrepreneurs can only dream of. Delighted By Dessert Hummus may be gone for now, but without it, there very well may have never been similar products available for anyone with a sweet tooth and a nutritious conscience.