Where Is Yumble From Shark Tank Today?

Kids bring chaos to cooking, specifically, what you are cooking for them. There are days when you can't get past the thought that you would be better off shopping at Costco for chicken nuggets and ketchup in bulk and calling it a day. Unfortunately, you love them too much and live in culinary denial, but rest assured they are never going to eat that wood-smoked cauliflower and carrots with pistachio crunch unless you add pepperonis and smother it in melted cheese. Enter Yumble Foods, a now defunct, subscription-based, healthy kid meals delivery service, whose fairy tale run ended in February 2024 when it shut down its operations.

How did this company lose its happily ever after ending? There is much to be learned from this start-up's story. Yumble was founded by David and Joanna Parker after the couple realized how difficult it was to fit healthy food into their family's hectic schedules. The company was based on a subscription model and sent pre-made delicious and nutritious meals directly to your home. Consumers could choose from nearly two dozen different dishes, all of which were catered toward a child's palate, and could order up to 24 individual meals a week.

As love for their Chick N Casserole, Snack Poppers, and Say Cheese! Nuggets started to catch fire so did David and Joanna Parkers' appetite to grow. Building on their success of having customers in 26 states, in 2018, the Parkers decided to appear on the show "Shark Tank" in search of investors. Would they be able to count themselves among the biggest food wins to come out of "Shark Tank?"

Contestant Spoonful of Comfort, a business that allowed consumers to ship care packages of soup and cookies to their loved ones around the country, drew skepticism from the sharks. And consider where Salted from "Shark Tank" is today. The health-focused ghost kitchen delivery service failed to secure an investor after its lofty pitch for $500,000.

Still, the Yumble Food founders asked the sharks for a $500,000 investment in return for a 4% share of Yumble. Both Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary felt that the food delivery market was oversaturated and decided not to invest in the company. However, Yumble found a believer in a guest shark. Bethenny Frankel agreed to invest the full $500,000 and wanted a 15% share. Rohan Oza lowered that down to 12%, and also enlisted Lori Greiner to be his partner in the investment. Frankel, in an attempt to undercut the newly formed power duo, slashed her original offer to $500,000 for 6%, which the Parkers readily accepted. So, what happened to Yumble after their "Shark Tank" appearance?

In a 2021 interview with Forbes, Joanna Parker revealed that though Frankel seemed enthusiastic about her investment on "Shark Tank," the businesswoman never completed the deal. Nevertheless, Yumble found other investors and was able to continue growing. Despite Parker giving an in-depth explanation of Yumble's expansion plans in the aforementioned Forbes interview, Yumble was purchased by Dibz Kidz, another food delivery service, in December 2022 which rebranded itself as Yumble. 

While the company changed hands, per an Instagram post, Yumble noted that Dibz Kidz was, "...dedicated to preserving the mission of making mealtime easy for both parents and kids. We welcome you to a new chapter of Yumble and an all-new lineup of shelf-stable ready-to-eat school lunches that kids love." Alas, something else changed besides ownership. The Yumble lunchbox offerings were primarily filled with processed snack foods — like chocolate chip cookies, Peanut Butter Crème & Jelly filled croissants, and Chex party mix — and were less health-focused than the original brand's products had been when it first set out on its journey.

In October 2023, the new owners of Yumble teamed up with General Mills G-Works, adding snack offerings to its menu, which included items like Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Lärabar protein bars. The new business showcased General Mills' beloved foods as part of its build-your-own lunch, with other items that included chicken salad and crackers, veggies and dip, and freeze-dried fruit crisps. 

Sadly, this service lost its mojo with parents, and its offerings weren't enough to persuade families to subscribe to it. Hence, its untimely ending quickly followed at the beginning of 2024 when the G-Works Yumble team posted, "Recently, the decision was made to no longer pursue Yumble as a brand." So, where are the Parkers now? Per Joanna Parker's LinkedIn profile, she hopped on the executive coaching wave and currently offers her expertise to "high-powered" mothers, in an effort to "​​empower women to rise into C-suite and executive roles." And as for David? He went a different route and now works in equity at a company called Tenna Capital. RIP Yumble.