P-Nuff Crunch: Here's What Happened After Appearing On Shark Tank

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Being an avid swimmer in his youth, Juan Salinas was always looking for that competitive edge. He turned his attention to nutrition as he began lifting weights in college, ultimately earning a PhD in food science from Rutgers University. He was later employed by major snack manufacturers, formulating the composition of products. Yet, he felt unfulfilled. Salinas dreamed of creating a nutritionally sound and flavorful snack, but these companies were mainly concerned with taste, leaving nutrition concerns by the wayside.

In 2015, Salinas launched a Cheeto-esque snack dubbed P-Nuff Crunch that was tailored toward nutrition as well as flavor. By utilizing plant-based ingredients like navy beans, rice, and peanut oil, Salinas created a tasty, vegan, and gluten-free nosh that folks could feel good about eating.

Still, many manufacturers were reluctant to produce Salinas' brainchild because of the peanuts involved. This ingredient would require diligently cleaning all equipment after a manufacturing run to avoid cross-contamination of allergens in another company's product. To combat this problem, Salinas set up a manufacturing facility dedicated to solely making his innovative product. Yet, while this allowed him to produce as much as he liked, sales and marketing were not his strong points. He needed someone who balanced his ambition with knowledge of the industry, so he took to ABC's "Shark Tank" in hopes of gaining some much-needed capital and business expertise.

Salinas began his pitch on "Shark Tank" by explaining how P-Nuff Crunch was nutritionally valuable before stating his ask of $300,000 for 10% of his company. To demonstrate his personal commitment to nutrition and fitness, he removed his shirt and flexed his brawny figure to some exclamation from Barbara Corcoran. He then offered the sharks a taste of three different varieties of P-Nuff Crunch snacks: original roasted peanuts, roasted peanuts and cinnamon, and cocoa.

While guest shark Kendra Scott and Corcoran were admiring Salinas' physique, Mark Cuban told the founder a story about his first experience with P-Nuff Crunch. He came home and saw a bag in his pantry that his wife had picked up from the store. After inspecting the nutritional details, he wolfed down the entire bag. His wife couldn't find them again locally and Cuban wanted to change that.

He offered Salinas the $300,000 for 25% of the business. The founder was squeamish about giving away that much equity and countered with 15%. Cuban stood firm with his equity ask, but did offer to increase the investment to $400,000. At that point, the other sharks in the room told Salinas to take the deal, but he tried to lower the equity to 20%. Cuban began to lose patience, lowering his head for a moment before looking Salinas in the eyes and saying, "400 for 25, Juan." The founder's facial expression revealed his trouble coming to terms with that deal, but he eventually accepted.

As was the case when Bantam Bagels appeared on "Shark Tank," the initial airing of the episode led to a spike in online sales for Salinas' business. Not only that, but every time the episode was aired as a rerun, the so-called "Shark Tank effect" continued to generate extra revenue for P-Nuff Crunch. However, Salinas wasn't content merely riding these waves of success.

With Cuban's investment money, the P-Nuff Crunch founder purchased a new manufacturing facility that would allow the company to meet the growing demand for his product and eventually scale up even more. Yet, Salinas didn't appear on "Shark Tank" solely for the money. In an interview with Grovara, he said, "Mark has provided lots of help, especially on marketing. He is helping us lead a rebrand, which is sure to elevate growth." The rebranding effort naturally entailed a redesign of the packaging, a move that Salinas hoped would get him more shelf space in major grocery retailers.

Salinas' company is not only alive and well, but apparently thriving. The rebranding effort was fruitful and helped to land P-Nuff Crunch snacks in more retail outlets across the country. You might even be able to find them right now at your local ShopRite, Wegmans, Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Central Market Supermarkets, among other retailers. With the help of one of Cuban's marketing gurus, QuHarrison Terry, P-Nuff Crunch also prioritized the retooling of its website and overall online presence.

P-Nuff Crunch now has a blog that delves into the many aspects of the product, fitness tips, and snacking habits in general. There are even recommendations for '90s music tailored to enhance the experience of munching on the puffs, as well as a list of movies that are perfect for relishing a nutritious snack. By all accounts, the company has been successful in selling P-Nuff Crunch online via its website and on Amazon.

With a significant following on active social media accounts and up-to-date blog posts on its website, P-Nuff Crunch is showing no signs of slowing down. Cuban's investment in the company and the guidance he and his team bestowed upon Salinas helped him reach heights he may not have thought possible. Yet the end is not in sight. In one of the company's blog posts, Salinas said, "Securing a deal with Mark Cuban was a pivotal moment, but it was only the beginning of our evolution."

As Salinas continues his work to get P-Nuff Crunch in more groceries in the U.S. and abroad, it is sure to get the attention of his competitors at some point. The fate experienced by Bruw after it appeared on "Shark Tank" — in which the company sold for a sizable sum of money — is one such possibility for Salinas' business. Whether he would be willing to part with the company he passionately grew from the ground up is anyone's guess, but as the business continues to expand, it would be odd if he weren't courted for it somewhere down the line.