Where Is Delighted By Dessert Hummus From Shark Tank Today?
While some people have probably forayed into making their own versions of homemade hummus, how many of them can say they've tried making a dessert version loaded with either chocolate chips or cinnamon sugar? Entrepreneur Makenzie Marzluff was determined to create delicious desserts based on America's somewhat recent obsession over the age-old spread, which is traditionally comprised of chickpeas, lemon, garlic, tahini, and olive oil.
Gazette Review notes Marzluff's determined attitude in her previous business ventures. Not only had the budding businesswoman created a smoothie bar in Arizona but she also ran two separate businesses in Australia before starting Delighted By in 2015. The idea formed when Marzluff brought a cookie dough-flavored chickpea dip to a party and her friends were so smitten with her concoction that she decided to formulate her new recipe into a potentially successful business venture.
After receiving a loan for $10,000 from an online lending platform, she started selling her dessert hummus at farmer's markets. While Marzluff told Deli Market News her business quickly took off and saw its first grocery store placement in 2016, the steadfast health-focused entrepreneur decided to take her chances on "Shark Tank" in hopes to bring her healthy desserts to more supermarkets nationwide.
What did the Sharks think of Delighted By?
When your sweet tooth calls, would you ever predict it could be satisfied by a snickerdoodle-flavored chickpea spread? Makenzie Marzluff did and had a unique idea in mind when she appeared on "Shark Tank" Season 9, Episode 4 in 2017. At the time of her on-screen appearance, the headstrong entrepreneur had created many different flavors of the dessert-based dip including brownie batter and vanilla bean, and advertised them as 100% nut and gluten-free. Well+Good also claims these unique flavors were made using quality ingredients and only sweetened with raw turbinado sugar or coconut sugar.
According to Shark Tank Recap, Marzluff appeared on the ABC show asking for $600,000 for 12% of her business. During her pitch to the investors, the Gazette Review claims the dedicated business owner made $1 million in the first full year of the Delighted By business before her debut on "Shark Tank." Marzluff needed financial assistance in product distribution and employee funding so she didn't have to do all the work getting her product to retail stores alone. While some of the judges believed Marzluff's valuation was too high, in the end she had to decide between a $600,000 loan from Kevin O'Leary or a $600,000 deal with Mark Cuban with the caveat of having to fork over 25% equity. She decided to take the deal with Cuban.
Where is Delighted By today?
If you had your heart set on trying Delighted By products, you may need to succumb to making one of the best healthy dessert recipes as an alternative because your chances have come and gone. According to Shark Tank Recap, shortly after her appearance on the show, Marzluff declined Mark Cuban's offer. Based on a 2022 interview with Shoutout LA, Marzluff claims to have bowed out of the retail industry due to the harsh realities associated with getting her product on big box shelves. In 2021, she decided to bring all production, including prepackaged brownies, in-house and started her own production facility in Bozeman, Montana. According to one Delighted By Instagram post, the entrepreneur was selling her popular hummus as kits as late as 2022, but when clicking on the Delighted By website, nothing pops up.
Marzluff revealed to Shoutout LA that she was able to start two other businesses in recent years including a protein bar company called RequestBar and Kakao, which is a ceremonial drinking chocolate business. Based on the RequestBar website, Marzluff has passed off ownership, yet she's still running Kakao with her husband, Michael McPherson. While Delighted By no longer seems to be a product you can get, the mindful business owner revealed to Go Solo that one of her greatest achievements as a business owner was following her heart and switching to an e-commerce model for her successful companies.