Our Shark Tank Story

In 2022, we were scouted to participate in Shark Tank thanks to a West Coast Trade show. Months, and some paperwork later, we pitched Mama O’s vision on the future of kimchi to the Sharks. We wanted an investment to accelerate scaling our business with distribution expansion and marketing spend (there are SO many ways to eat kimchi!). As a small, family-run business, we have focused on slow &  steady annual growth and acknowledge that the right partner could take things to the next level.

Mama O’s had already come a long way. What started in 2007 as a personal quest to make the best kimchi has developed into a full business that employs amazing humans outside of the immediate family. We began at street fairs, pop-ups, and local shops - selling our kimchi. That eventually led to landing our first Whole Foods account. Every step of our journey had been about hard work, quality, and passion.

We pitched our story, our product, and our future plans to the Sharks. They loved the taste of our kimchi and, while Mama O captured the Sharks’ hearts, in the end, they decided to pass.

Not getting a deal didn’t stop us—it motivated us. Since our Shark Tank appearance, we’ve continued to grow on our own terms. We’ve expanded production, upgraded our equipment, and partnered with new distributors to reach more consumers. Today, Mama O’s is in grocery stores, restaurants, and distribution networks across the country—still self-funded, still scrappy, and still making the best kimchi.

Shark Tank was just one chapter in our story. The best is yet to come.