The Genuinely Interested Podcast
Ep 107 Ari Tolwin - The Future of Plant Based Milk
Ari Tolwin is the founder of Numilk. Numilk makes all your favorite plant-based milks, from almond milk, to cashew milk, barista oat milk, etc... Originally launched as a large kiosk at supermarkets when COVID hit, Ari and his co-founder decided to pivot to a smaller machine that would fit on consumers' kitchen countertop - which is a Kickstarter they ran up until recently. On Shark Tank season 12, Ari and his co-founder Joe Savino, pitched to the sharks and ended up closing a deal with Mark Cuban for 2 million dollars for 10% equity. This is one of the biggest deals ever to be negotiated on Shark tank.
Ari and I discussed:
- His first CPG startup - Happy Tree Maple Water
- How difficult the beverage space is
- The early days of Numilk
- Why the pivot to the smaller, home version of the machine
- His experience on Shark Tank
- Getting a deal done with Mark Cuban
And much more...
My Take: Being passionate about your idea as an entrepreneur while not a must, is a huge boon when you hit those inadvertent bumps that will eventually appear along your journey. Ari and his cofounder both believed in the mission so much that when Covid hit, they found a new way to carry their company to that next phase. Knowing when to pivot or how to maneuver in rough seas is the sign of a great entrepreneur.
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