Cynthia Wong has loved designing posters and artwork since childhood. After several years as a pastry chef in the restaurant industry, she left that job to start Life Raft Treats, a frozen dessert business that sells playful, unique frozen treats inspired by artwork. The company’s best-selling product is “Not Fried Chicken,” an ice cream bar that looks like a fried chicken drumstick.
She appeared on Shark Tank Season 16 with her husband, John David Harmon, seeking the Sharks’ help to expand their ice cream truck and dessert business nationwide. Will this couple be able to convince the Sharks to fund their company? Let’s find out what happened next!
| Company Name | Life Raft Treats | |
| Founder/Co-Founder | Cynthia Wong | |
| Founded | 2018 | |
| Product | artwork frozen desserts | |
| Asked For | $250k for 5% equity | |
| Final Deal | No Deals | |
| Shark | No Sharks | |
| Episode | S16 E2 | |
| Air Date | Oct 25th, 2024 | |
| Business Status | In Business | |
| Website | Visit Website | |
| Headquarters | Charleston, South Carolina Area, United States | |
| Annual (Revenue) | $1 Million *estimated | |
| Worth / Valuation | $5 Million | |
| Buy and Watch | Buy Now | Amazon Prime |
What Is the Background of The Founder?
Cynthia Wong founded the dessert company Life Raft Treats in May 2018 after leaving her years-long career as a pastry chef in the restaurant industry. Her work has earned her six semifinalist spots for Outstanding Pastry Chef with the prestigious James Beard Foundation.
Here’s a video where you can learn about Cynthia’s business journey and get detailed information about her company. Play to watch.
Business Pitch Episode Recap
The husband and wife team, John David Harmon and Cynthia Wong came onto Shark Tank and asked the Sharks for $250,000 in exchange for 5% equity in their company. They let the Sharks taste their best-selling product, the frozen “Not Fried Chicken” ice cream. The Sharks enjoyed the taste.
The ice cream tasted so good that Mark Cuban ended up eating the entire 9-piece bucket of chicken ice cream.
Currently, the company’s products are sold in the frozen goods section of over 500 retail stores nationwide. John shared that each ice cream chicken bucket retails for $109. Last year, in 2023, the company generated $1.2 million in sales, though the net margin was only 5%.
So far in 2024, they have reached $750,000 in sales, with a projected total of $1.7 million by year-end.
Kevin O’Leary asked if the product was available in major big-box stores and about customer acquisition. In response, John said that the product is currently available at Central Market in Texas and Mariano’s in the Midwest. Additionally, they work with a third-party partner who handles their marketing and charges a 20% fee for the business.
Mark said he doesn’t like the frozen food business, so he’s out.
Daymond John said he wouldn’t be able to add much value to this business and that other Sharks understand this industry better. So, he’s out.
Lori Greiner said she’s an investor in a former Shark Tank business, Frozen Farmer, which is a competitor. So, she’s out.
Kevin feels that this business isn’t investable for him at the moment, so he’s out.
John and Cynthia’s last hope was Todd Graves, but he also declined to invest.
Sharks Offers list!
| Sharks | Offers |
|---|---|
| Todd Graves | No Offer |
| Kevin O’Leary | No Offer |
| Mark Cuban | No Offer |
| Daymond John | No Offer |
| Lori Greiner | No Offer |
| Founder’s (Countered) | No Counter |
| Final Deals | No deals |
Life Raft Treats Shark Tank Update
Unfortunately, Life Raft Treats didn’t secure a deal on Shark Tank, but they received a lot of positive feedback from the Sharks. This led to a boost in the company’s sales.
You can now purchase their products from Central Market, DoorDash, DashMart, FreshDirect, and Goldbelly. Their team is currently focused on expanding the product into nationwide retail stores to prepare the business for upcoming challenges.
On October 30th, 2024, exciting news arrived for Life Raft Treats as their signature Not Fried Chicken ice cream was included in Whole Foods Market’s 2025 Top 10 Food and Beverage Watch List.
The company announced via its official Instagram handle, @life.raft.treats, that Life Raft Treats is now available in over 500 locations nationwide.
We have covered more businesses from Season 16, and you can also check them out!
