Dietary restrictions can stop us from enjoying tasty snacks. That’s the gap Funky Mello set out to fill, a plant-based, gluten-free, top-8 allergen-free marshmallow creme made from chickpea liquid instead of gelatin. Founders Delisa and Zach Harper pitched the brand on Shark Tank and walked away with Daymond John. Funky Mello was once worth $500,000 but the company has since shut down, citing ongoing supply chain challenges.
The Harper’s
Delisa and Zach Harper are an Austin-based husband-and-wife team who met at a music festival and bonded over a shared love of music and food. They worked in separate fields before becoming entrepreneurs together.
Before Funky Mello, Delisa was an event marketing specialist at companies such as HP, OpenText, and Search Engine Journal. Zach worked in the pharmaceuticals field, mostly he held positions as a manager and sales representative.
Although they were unapologetic foodies, the Harpers had dietary limitations that kept them from enjoying their favorite childhood sweets. The pair tried existing healthy snacks but found them bland and lifeless.
Building Funky Mello from Scratch
Their disappointing experience inspired them to create marshmallow creme out of chickpeas. It’s considered to be the most underrated allergen-friendly ingredient and according to the founders, the product is free from the top eight allergens.
They loved the outcome and began selling at local farmers’ markets. The lovebirds established the business six months into their relationship. The products developed strong traction locally but they wanted to scale nationally.
In 2021, Delisa and Zach launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $10,500 from 168 backers. Production and shipping started in September 2021, and the progress was lightning-fast. 76% of pre-orders were sent out in a month. They later joined the SKU and Impact Ventures accelerator programs to support the brand’s growth.
Shark Tank and the Road to Closure
Despite filming the episode around September 2023, the couple only found out a few weeks beforehand that it would! air This didn’t give them a lot of time to prepare for a huge increase in sales.
At the time of filming, Funky Mello was in around 20 stores, selling about nine units per store each week, with each tub retailing for $6.99. Daymond John offered exactly what they asked for, and the couple accepted on the spot.
Following the episode, Funky Mello expanded its retail footprint significantly, eventually reaching over 100 locations across Whole Foods, Sprouts, H-E-B, and Walmart.com. The brand also launched Dippsterz, a Dunkaroos-inspired snack pack line in flavors like Caramel Apple, Sweet N Salty, and Tropical, and was named a finalist for the 2025 NEXTY Awards, which recognise standout natural food brands.
However, scaling proved harder than expected. Delisa later acknowledged that the brand’s earlier 2022 Sprouts holiday rollout had been rushed, causing distribution problems. Funky Mello has since closed, citing ongoing supply chain challenges, and the company’s website now displays only a notice confirming the shutdown and that the team is working to resolve impacted orders.
It’s a reminder that even a strong Shark Tank pitch and a Daymond John deal don’t guarantee a path to long-term scale in the highly competitive natural foods category.
