Bantam Bagels Review Shark Tank
Nick and Elyse Oleksak founded their bagel company with an idea that was literally born in a dream. The Wall Street employees had been sleeping when they suddenly had an urge to make bite-size cream cheese-filled bagel balls, which they named bagel bites. The couple’s nocturnal inspiration soon became a full-fledged business, and within just one year of launching their company, the frozen bagels hit the big time when they were featured on QVC and made Oprah’s Favorite Things list.
With their business quickly expanding to a level that outstripped their own capabilities, the entrepreneurs decided to head to “Shark Tank” seeking an investor willing to take a chance on them. Nick and Elyse were looking for $275,000 for an 11% stake in their bagel business.
The Oleksaks were met with interest from many of the Sharks, but Lori Greiner was eager to invest in their company. She offered to fund the startup’s growth in exchange for a large share of the company, and also revamped their branding, renaming the bagel bites to “Bagel Stuffins.” Greiner helped Bantam Bagels grow even more, with their product now being sold in most major stores nationwide including Hilton hotels and Delta Airlines.
As of early 2019, bantom bagels was doing over $2.1 million in sales, which is ten times more than they had been making before their appearance on Shark Tank. The company has now released several new flavors and rolled out two more products to their line, with their bagel bites now being found in over 7,700 Starbucks locations.
