Where Is Coffee Joulies From Shark Tank Today?

There are two types of people in this world: Those who accept the fact that they will occasionally burn their tongue on a hot cup of coffee with a faulty lid from the deli, and those who go to great lengths in order to make their morning cup of coffee as pleasant and burn-free as possible. A random member of the latter camp probably owns at least one Hydro Flask, a handmade mug sleeve, and other such temperature-control accessories. 

This person is the target audience for Coffee Joulies, a company that appeared on the fourth season of "Shark Tank." The Joulies in question are made of an "advanced phase change material" that melts at 140 degrees F, and are shaped like a bean encased in a shiny stainless steel shell, per the brand's website. They absorb excess heat in coffee, then slowly release that heat back into the cup for a Goldilocks-approved drinking experience that can be nursed for up to five hours. 

Bred from a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $306,000 in just over a month, Coffee Joulies founders David Jackson and David Petrillo came to the tank hoping a shark would invest $150,000 in exchange for 5% equity. Here's what happened during and after the episode. 

On "Shark Tank" Season 4, Episode 14, Coffee Joulies founders David Jackson and David Petrillo gave a pretty convincing pitch. As the sharks sipped their not-too-hot, not-too-cold coffee, the founders told them that they had cleared $575,000 in the past year, bringing in $50,000 in profit. They boasted forthcoming contracts with retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond and OfficeMax, projecting future sales of $1 million. 

Although Daymond John initially dipped out, all of the other sharks were immediately interested in the proposal. In fact, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec all quickly decided that they needed a piece of the pie, so they proposed a cooperative deal between themselves and the entrepreneurs. In response, Mark Cuban swung his own offer ($250,000 in return for 12% equity), and once John saw the enthusiasm of his fellow sharks, it wasn't long before he joined the cooperative deal.

In the end, the founders went in hot with the biggest deal, shaking hands with O'Leary, Greiner, Herjavec, and John. According to the terms of the deal shown in the episode, Jackson and Petrillo would get $150,000 in return for $6 from every retail order and $3 from every wholesale order until the investment is recouped. After that, the Sharks would only receive $1 from every order.

Here's how the company is doing post-tank, nearly 10 years later. 

Nowhere on the Coffee Joulies website does it state that the business has shuttered, but the fact that its entire inventory is sold out doesn't give us high hopes. What's more, the most recent update to the brand's Facebook page was posted on September 14, 2017. "Add a few Coffee Joulies to your drink when poured and they start working automatically," it reads. "Made of stainless steel, you can use them again and again." It may be the ghostly call of a promising product that appears to have faded away in the crowded market of high-tech coffee products. 

The product's Amazon page still shows customer reviews, but it's no longer available for purchase through the mega online retailer. Some feedback is positive (one user called Joulies "amazing"), but the majority of reviews contain gripes of trial and error. "Don't expect to just be able to go to Starbucks and drop them in and have your coffee stay warm all day," wrote another reviewer, who said they only work when used in a thermos. 

Cheers to Coffee Joulies, gone but not forgotten.