Yumble: Here's What Happened After Shark Tank

Trying to find quick, healthy meal ideas to feed the family can be an ongoing battle for many parents. It takes time — something most busy parents are short of — to plan and create balanced meals all week. Then you're faced with the problem that some kids can be picky eaters, too. It was an issue very familiar to Joanna Parker, from Englewood, New Jersey, who came up with a potential solution born out of her own frustration.

Wondering if other parents felt the same way, mother and former head teacher, Parker posted anonymously on a Facebook group and discovered that she was not alone. When she asked if anybody might be interested in a home delivery service offering nutritious options for kids, and total strangers started asking if she would make meals for their children, Parker and her husband, David, saw a gap in the market.

The result was Yumble, a subscription-based meal company that delivered ready-made, healthy meals for children. By the time the Parkers appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2018, the company had already attracted customers in 26 states and was looking to grow.

Joanna and David Parker appeared on "Shark Tank” season 10, seeking $500,000 for a 4% stake in their company, Yumble. The company was offering parents a choice of three different meal plans — six meals, 12 meals, or 24 meals — with 22 different items to choose from every week, and no cooking required. They ranged in price from $6.99 to $7.99 a meal, including shipping, with each delivery also including a welcome note for the parents, and collectibles for the child to play with.

Dishing out samples of chicken pops, protein-rich "Smac n Cheese," and empanadas, Yumble said the company already had $1.3 million in sales, with a 30% growth rate month over month. Over 70% of the customers that had signed up had gone on to reorder at the first opportunity. But Shark Kevin O'Leary had concerns, mainly around how Yumble would be able to compete against companies such as Whole Foods (which was acquired by Amazon), and Albertsons, who had millions of customers already going in to buy groceries.

In a heated argument, guest judge Bethenny Frankel disagreed with O'Leary, saying the model was less like Plated, a meal kit where customers get ingredients and need to cook the meal themselves, and more like Lunchables. Frankel offered the $500,000 but wanted a 15% stake. Rohan Oza offered $100,000 for 12% and was willing to partner with Lori Greiner. Frankel then revised her offer to 6%. Yumble accepted.

Founder Joanna Parker said after filming her "Shark Tank" episode that Yumble took Bethenny Frankel's deal because the company "really couldn't risk" her walking away, describing the mother and natural foods chef as "the perfect partner," and saying the couple were "super excited" to work with her (via YouTube). 

The entrepreneurs said that they planned to use the investment to expand delivery, and to take Yumble nationwide in 2019. However, the $500,000 deal with Frankel was never finalized in the end. 

However, the company still benefited from the publicity after appearing on "Shark Tank," and Yumble received alternative investment while continuing to grow its team as well as its product range. In 2021, Joanna said it was important during this growth phase to "be transparent" with customers, explaining that they were "expecting a flood of new orders," (via Forbes), and to keep communication channels open should there be any problems with delivery.

In December 2022, Yumble ceased operations and was purchased by Dibz Kidz. An Instagram post by the company in February 2023 promised "a new chapter of Yumble," as well as an "all-new lineup of shelf-stable ready-to-eat school lunches that kids love."

The brand's offerings changed following the takeover, and focused primarily on lunch bags and snack packs. These included build-your-own options as well as ready-to-go lunches, but the items included were mostly mass-produced and pre-packaged. This was a big step away from the fresh meals originally offered by Joanna and David Parker, which included the likes of casseroles, vegetable and bean burritos, and different stuffed pastas such as cheese ravioli. The shift in focus was picked up by customers, with some Instagram comments suggesting that the lunch boxes had become "something that parents can easily do themselves."

The company took a summer break in May 2023, according to its Instagram, hinting at a rebrand. By the end of July, Yumble was back up and running, and promoting its back-to-school lunch bags.

For a while, Yumble seemed to be in a good place despite the controversial product changes. An August 2023 blog post from food manufacturer and marketer General Mills praised the new Yumble's "completely customizable lunch kits," which featured over 2,800 potential combinations for children and parents to pick from. In December 2023, Yumble partnered with Walmart.com so that customers could order the pre-packaged lunch options from the retailer. 

Yumble was still operating before February 2024, offering veggie-inspired lunch bags and running giveaways on its Instagram account. But later that same month, the company made an official announcement, stating: "We've made the difficult decision to close our doors" (via Facebook).

Yumble's farewell statement said that G-Works, part of General Mills, had decided to "no longer pursue Yumble as a brand." The company thanked its customers for their support, and added that people who had placed orders or were members of the subscription service would be reimbursed. Its website is no longer active.

Yumble founder Joanna Parker's LinkedIn profile confirms that she parted ways with the company as of January 2023. In March 2023, she launched Joanna Parker Coaching, a service aimed at "the high-powered mother" and designed to "empower women to rise into C-suite and executive roles." The idea was to use her own experience of raising her family while she was running Yumble to help coach others.

By May 2023, Parker was using her Instagram account to promote the coaching business, and asking followers to share their career goals with her. In August that year, she was posting about an eight-week seminar designed to help working mothers overcome obstacles that may be hindering their success. But that was the final post on Instagram by the entrepreneur. 

Parker has never posted anything on LinkedIn, despite updating her bio with details of her coaching initiative, so it is not clear what her future plans may entail. Her business website is no longer online.