Where Is Slice Of Sauce From Shark Tank?

Have you ever avoided the extra ketchup on your favorite burger in fear of that messy condiment oozing out the other side of your sandwich right onto your lap? While you could concoct a homemade ketchup that results in a thicker consistency, Cole and Emily Williams from Austin, Texas developed a potential solution and pitched their ingenious idea on "Shark Tank" Season 12, Episode 10. What is this one-of-a-kind alternative to hazardous potential ketchup stains you wonder?

The Williams' solution to this problem is a product that takes the mess out of condiments by converting America's favorite sauces into cheese-shaped, dehydrated slices called Slice of Sauce. Interestingly, Emily actually developed this unique condiment slice by accident when she decided to try and repurpose leftover vegetables from her father's homemade barbecue sauce (via Tig Talks). After realizing the potential of the product, she and her husband opted to go all in on the invention.

The couple raised money for their creative food product by launching a Kickstarter account in 2018 to raise money. The biggest challenge they noted after raising a significant amount of funds, was finding a manufacturer that could produce large quantities of these dehydrated slices with a somewhat speedy turnover. Besides spreading the word about these condiment slices and raising money on their own, Cole and Emily decided to ask for help from the popular "Shark Tank" investors.

In 2020, the Williams duo took their chances and headed to the "Shark Tank" cast, asking for $200,000 for 10% equity. At the time, Slice of Sauce was being advertised as eight slices of either ketchup or sriracha for $5.99 per pack. None of the Sharks appreciated the steep price, considering there were additional investors in the mix and the product had essentially stalled for two years. In fact, the product received criticism from a number of judges.

After asking a few questions about the company's finances, Barbara Corcoran labeled the business venture "magical" and quickly dropped out. Next, Lori Greiner expressed skepticism about the need for the product and followed Corcoran on the way out. Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary was the first to make a proposal, offering $200,000 in exchange for 5% equity and a 10-cent royalty per package for up to $700,000. Although that may have sounded appetizing to the entrepreneurs, it was quickly followed up by another offer.

Guest Shark Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez offered $200,000 for 15% equity as a convertible note when the company reached $1.8 million in sales. Diligent Equity defines a convertible note as debt that translates into equity when specific goal-oriented contingencies are met. Although Mark Cuban was prepared to make the two another offer, they accepted the proposal of the former New York Yankee before Cuban even had a chance to explain it.

Ultimately, the Williams succeeded in their plea of convincing these hard-to-impress investors, but beyond their success on "Shark Tank," how is Slice of Sauce selling today?

Of course, like all episodes of "Shark Tank," more parameters of the Slice of Sauce deal had to be worked out after the episode aired (via D Magazine). However, you're unlikely to find any information on the substance of that part of the process. "Shark Tank" requires all entrepreneurs to adhere to a strict confidentiality clause surrounding off-screen negotiations. "Our confidentiality clause is a unique one and very tight," Emily Williams said (via Tig Talks). "We can't say much about the actual negotiations. What I can say is that it takes a lot longer than you would anticipate."

At first, Slice of Sauce appeared to be moving smoothly post-"Shark Tank." In early 2021, FN Dish announced that Frank's RedHot Sauce was going to be featured in one of the company's newest slice flavors. Unfortunately, when you click the link on the Slice of Sauce website, the page is no longer found. WayBackMachine indicates that the website displayed a simple "Coming to a grocery store near you" sign for most of 2022, but it eventually went offline.

In fact, the last Slice of Sauce Instagram post came in early September 2021. Notably, it produced a lot of comments from internet users questioning the business' lack of presence in the months before the site was officially taken down. Many social media users asked why the brand hadn't been posting or how to order more slices. Unfortunately, to fulfill any future sauce needs, you'll either have to snag some grab-n-go condiment packs or continue eating one of the 14 condiments that need to be refrigerated.