Whatever Happened To Brass Roots After Shark Tank?

With his company, Brass Roots, Aaron Gailmor is looking to make a change one bite at a time. The business creates a line of healthy snacks made using the Sacha Inchi Seed. The seed is protein-rich, keto-friendly, and plant-based, while also making a good alternative to peanut butter for allergy suffers. 

Gailmor's commitment to healthy nutrition began in 2010 when his father was diagnosed with heart disease. The entrepreneur took similar note of the troubling rate of diet-related health issues afflicting the community of New Orleans once he and his family moved there. While working for another health food-based business, Gailmor discovered the Inchi seed and felt he could make something out of it. 

Brass Roots officially launched in 2019. They began picking up traction, being one of only 11 contestants in the 2019 Good Food Financing & Innovation Conference Pitch Slam and later receiving a $1 million investment from Fisher Brand manufacturer, John B Sanfilippo & Son, in 2021. However, Gailmor's true passion was education and reaching out to the community. In their mission to provide nutritional awareness, Brass Roots partnered with several local and international organizations such as the Mercy Foundation, Roots of Music, Youth Run Nola, and Covenant House Nola. 

With a product that speaks to our society's increased awareness of health and a mission to give back, Brass Roots was on its way to a delicious future, but only if a shark was willing to take a bite. 

Aaron Gailmor brought Brass Roots onto "Shark Tank" Season 14 with the intent of securing a $400,000 investment for 7% of the business. Gailmor kicked off his segment with a bang, marching in with a band performing "When the Saints Go Marching In" while throwing beads to the sharks. The entrepreneur succeeds at establishing his New Orleans pride, but will that energy translate to an investment? 

With such an extreme ask, the sharks naturally want to know about his numbers. Gailmor shares that they've seen a healthy uptick in sales, with plans to hit $1.5 million by the end of the year. However, they won't see a profit, largely because they go through up to $30,000 a month. Much of this cost is attributed to their margins, as each bag costs roughly $5 to make and is priced at $17.99. The sharks think it's pretty costly, though Gailmor assures that they offer lower prices than competitors. Additionally, with both the new investors and other shareholders rolled over from a previous venture, Gailmor only owns 33% of the business. 

Sadly, none of the sharks go in with Gailmor. They each have their own reasons, but it largely comes down to the difficulty in spreading public awareness of the product, the wonky margins, and the negligible equity they'd receive as a result of the other investors on board. Nevertheless, they all like Gailmor himself and admire his good-hearted vision for the company, with Daymond John saying, "It's painful to have to turn down people like that all the time up here that have amazing missions and you want to be part of what they're doing." 

Brass Roots may have not gotten a deal on "Shark Tank," but Aaron Gailmor's mission to make a difference within his company was far from over.  The "Shark Tank" effect hit Brass Roots following the airing of its segment on January 20. The website saw an influx of traffic, with nearly 100,000 new visitors giving it a visit, which translated to almost 10,000 new orders. In March, the episode was reaired and Gailmor shared that his production team would be working on variety packs after learning that "Shark Tank" viewers enjoyed such offers. 

Gailmor also made it a priority to implement the sharks' advice and improve his business. 

Aaron Gailmor's team raised prices to improve margins and cut down on costs, which sadly meant slimming down on their staff. They also altered their packaging to be more appealing and provide clearer information about the benefits of Sacha Inchi Seeds. Additionally, Brass Roots got rid of any poorly performing products and focused on their best-performing items to drive sales. These changes helped Brass Roots achieve profitability by the first quarter of 2023.

His efforts didn't go unnoticed. On the night of Gailmor's episode airing, guest shark and KIND Snack Food founder Daniel Lubetzky tweeted, "Aaron shows signs of a great entrepreneur by using the lessons he learned from his first business to inform how he's building." Lubetzky added that the lessons learned from his own previous company helped KIND grow and find success. By taking the sharks' advice to heart and making whatever changes were necessary, Gailmor was taking steps to ensure that Brass Roots would see a similar trajectory.

Brass Roots products can be found through multiple sources. On their website, you can find their Sacha Inchi Butter alongside their line of Roasted Sacha Inchi Seeds, which come in their classic lightly salted and honey mustard, along with the newly introduced sweet heat and dark chocolate options. Each bag goes for $19.99, with a "Shark Tank" variety pack option for $26.99. Their flagship product is also available on Amazon for the original $17.99 price, along with an additional salt and vinegar flavor. You can also find them in retailers such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Erewhon. 

The company continues to appear at public events. In March, Brass Roots was featured at Natural Products Expo West 2023, where CEO Aaron Gailmor was able to spread further awareness of their mission and his time on "Shark Tank." Brass Roots has continued its community involvement as well, with the team offering to donate Brass Roots Crunch Puffs to schools and youth groups and Gailmor, himself, being open to presenting students with information about nutrition and entrepreneurship. 

Much of the content across Brass Roots' social media is an extension of this mission. Along with the general promotion of the brand, visitors can find an array of recipes that implement their products, such as oatmeal blondies, vegan cookies, protein bites, and even summer roll noodle bowls. Their reach has also extended to several other outlets, with notable features in Forbes, ABC, Women's Health, VegOut LA, and many more. While no solid source on their revenue has come out as of this writing, the company is speculated to have a net worth of $5.71 million.

Brass Roots may not break any "Shark Tank" records anytime soon, but Aaron Gailmor and company deserve plenty of credit for where they've taken the brand thus far. Even without a "Shark Tank" deal, the team managed to persevere and make the changes needed to ensure success. Now that they are finally on the path of profitability, new roads are bound to open up for the business. 

The team is preparing to introduce a new addition to their product line with the Sacha Inchi Bar. The item is a nutritious protein bar made from their signature Sacha Inchi Seeds and is infused with fiber and Omega-3. At the moment, the bar is listed on their website as the only product in their "Coming Soon" section with no news on when it's planned to be released. If it performs well, it could give the company potential ideas for new flavors and additions to its lineup. 

Some see Brass Roots growing into something much bigger. The brand was included on Whole Food Magazine's list of 25 Trends to Watch For following Brass Roots' time at Natural Products Expo West. With goals to both provide hearty nutrition and make a change in the community, Brass Roots' mission falls in line with our society's increasingly healthy and socially conscious mindset, which could mean big things for the company's foreseeable future.