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After a three-week break, Shark Tank returns with a new episode featuring more interesting business deals. One of them is Pinole Blue, which offers organic food products made from blue corn.
Founder Eddie Sandoval started his business of making blue corn (pinole) drink mixes from his dorm room while pursuing a business finance degree at Wichita State College. After successfully running his company since 2017, he is set to bring in a deal of $250,000 in exchange of 10% equity of his company in Shark Tank. His fellow colleagues Kate and Kyle will accompany him on the ABC show.
The official synopsis of Episode 14 mentioned the business as it reads:
“Entrepreneurs from Wichita, Kansas, present their healthy line of products made from an ancient superfood.”
The story behind Pinole Blue
Pinole is a blue corn made from roasted ground white or yellow maize. It is a nutritious superfood that was created by the Aztecs to feed their warriors. The ingredient is still used in many Mexican Indian tribes and is closely associated with the Tarahumara tribe from Chihuahua, Mexico.
As Sandoval’s family is from Chihuahua, the founder was aware of pinole since childhood. But he didn’t realize that many locals around his college didn’t know about its health benefits. The budding entrepreneur then bought organic blue corn in large amounts and started processing and packaging to sell it to locals.
The “Our Story” section of Pinole Blue’s website reads:
"Soon, his dorm room transformed into Pinole Blue headquarters and Eddie invented his own Pinole-based protein blend to appeal to athletes. He entered Pinole Blue in an annual venture competition at Wichita State – and won the $10,000 grand prize.”
As the business started making profits, Sandoval decided to give back to the tribe by returning a portion of the proceeds to the Tarahumara.
What is the cost of Pinole Blue product?
The business that began with pinole drink mixes has now grown to sell protein bites, cookies and stone-grounded tortillas. The price of blend starts at $11.50, while tortillas cost $30. Interested buyers can find different products with variations in price and quantity.
The items can be bought from the company's website, which has been featured in multiple publications including Buzzfeed, Remezcla and Midwest Living.
When will Pinole Blue appear on Shark Tank?
Pinole Blue will appear in Episode 14 of Shark Tank Season 13 alongside three more business deals — Range Beauty, Diaper Dust and Junobie.
The upcoming episode will air on Friday, February 25 on ABC at 8.00 pm Eastern Time (ET).
The new installment will also welcome Wicked Good founders Tracey Noonan and Danielle Desroches from Cohasset, Massachusetts. They appeared in Shark Tank Season 4 Episode 23 and will now return to update their investor Kevin O’Leary on their cupcake business.
In addition to O’Leary, the sharks of the evening will be Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran and guest shark Emma Grede (SKIMS co-founder).
