Where Is Sweet Ballz From Shark Tank Today?

Many new products and services find success on "Shark Tank" — from cleaning products to apparel to food trucks. Among the companies that the Sharks agreed to take a chance on is Sweet Ballz, which offers a twist on cake pops.

Cake pops became an internet sensation in 2008 thanks to home-baker and blogger Angie Dudley, who appeared on "The Martha Stewart Show." In 2013, partners and roommates James McDonald and Cole Egger presented a simplified version of the dessert on "Shark Tank." The pair excitedly explained to the Sharks that they took the popular cake pop idea and removed the stick to create quality, bite-sized treats without the hours of baking and prep to complete a cake pops recipe. Then, they wowed the panel of investors with the 45-day, unrefrigerated shelf life and more than $700,000 in sales at 7-Eleven over three months prior to their pitch.

Both partners had prior experience taking products to retail; McDonald's experience came while working for a manufacturing company, and Eggers gained experience as an entrepreneur for many products, including the frozen food category. After McDonald spent years making cake balls for family and friends, he partnered with Matt Landis to bring the dessert to the masses, and Eggers eventually joined them. Prior to the show, the partners even teamed up with the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation to present the 20,000 Balls program. But, how did the Sweet Ballz partners fare with getting an investment, what happened after their pitch on "Shark Tank," and is Sweet Ballz still in business?

Sweet Ballz made its "Shark Tank" bid in the first episode of season 5. Cole Egger and James McDonald sought a $250,000 investment in exchange for one-tenth of the company. After passing samples of the cookies and cream, red velvet, and chocolate flavors to the Sharks, they revealed their goal was to improve production and distribution. The pitch started an exciting bidding war between all of the Sharks.

Barbara Corcoran made the first offer for $250,000 in exchange for 40% of the company. However, the partners were hopeful for a second offer. Kevin O'Leary was intrigued and offered the money for only 30%, but with an equal cash distribution. Lori Greiner threw her offer in, too, giving them the money for 36% of Sweet Ballz and the same equal cash distribution. She argued that she could get them into more retail spaces and sales through QVC. Robert Herjavec also wanted in, offering $250,000 for a quarter of the company and no other royalties.

Mark Cuban, who made season 16 of "Shark Tank" his last, teamed up with Corcoran. She then rescinded her original offer, though the duo initially couldn't agree on what percentage of Sweet Ballz to request. Eventually, the pair settled on $250,000 for 25%. However, Herjavec wasn't ready to back out and offered to work with Greiner and O'Leary. They agreed to an offer of 30% of the company (10% for each Shark) and an equal cash distribution. Ultimately, McDonald and Egger partnered with Corcoran and Cuban.

After leaving "Shark Tank," Cole Egger and James McDonald celebrated the deal together. Unfortunately, the celebration didn't last long, and the company faced some difficulties. According to The Dallas Morning News, McDonald sued Egger and other parties involved in the company in late September 2013 — just one week after the episode of the show aired — for breach of contract and sabotage. He alleged that Egger shut down the Sweet Ballz website in favor of creating a brand called Cakeballz and that he attempted to buy out the company and make deals without his knowledge. City View Food Group LLC — the company formed between McDonald, friend Matt Landis, and Eggers as the parent company of the Sweet Ballz brand — was also a plaintiff in the suit.

Rather than shut down the company, McDonald's goal with the lawsuit — as well as a temporary restraining order and injunction to halt Egger's actions — was only to regain control of the company's assets so that his vision of expansion could continue. According to court document filings, the plaintiffs filed for the case to be dismissed around mid-November 2013, and dismissal for want of prosecution was filed the following month. The case wasn't officially closed, though, until July 2014, and currently, the Sweet Ballz website lists McDonald as the company's only founder and features an image from the "Shark Tank" episode with Egger cropped out.

Even after falling out with his partner and roommate, James McDonald continued to operate Sweet Ballz. The company's Facebook page remained relatively active in spurts with special deals, including buy-one-get-one free offers and giveaways. A super variety pack of cake balls was available during the 2017 and 2018 holiday seasons via the company website, including flavors other than the originals, such as salted caramel (chocolate cake with caramel icing and a little salt). Sweet Ballz also branched out to make lemon and birthday cake-flavored ballz.

After December 2020, though, the company went silent on social media, while its X (formerly known as Twitter) account hasn't been updated since December 2018. Before that, fans voiced their concerns about not being able to find Sweet Ballz in their local 7-Elevens, to which the company replied in a Facebook post in March 2020 that its product was only available in select stores for a limited time. Its next post on Facebook and Instagram didn't arrive until November 2024. While the exact reason is unclear, the company was likely struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, like many other companies. Despite the social media hiatus, Sweet Ballz remained in operation.

Instead of using easy tips for making professional-looking cake pops at home, such as using candy melts for the icing because it's thinner when melted and sets faster, you can satisfy your cravings for the miniature dessert with Sweet Ballz. The company may have been missing in action on social media for a few years, but it continues to operate. In fact, City View Food Group LLC has steadily grown since it was formed in 2013.

Sweet Ballz managing partner Joe Henningsen told the North Denver Tribune in late 2024, "Our primary growth focus has been in the food service segment, selling to the top U.S. distributors servicing catering, grab & go markets, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, sports venues, colleges, universities, hospitals, assisted living, food trucks, and the list goes on."

Additionally, the company partners with online retailers to feature its bakery products and continues to sell cake balls via its online store, primarily from late fall until the end of spring. As of March 2025, 15-count packages are available for $30 (shipping and handling included) in birthday cake, chocolate, cookies and cream, lemon, and red velvet flavors. Salted caramel and spicy chocolate flavors are also occasionally available, along with discounts in the store, such as 20% off orders of two or more trays. On top of that, you can contact the company to order Sports Ballz, which are shaped and decorated like baseballs, basketballs, footballs, hockey pucks, and more.

Fortunately for fans of Sweet Ballz, the future looks promising for the company. In fact, it has an estimated revenue of $4 million per year — a far cry from its earnings in 2013 before "Shark Tank" — and plans for expansion are in place.

In the North Denver Tribune interview, Joe Henningsen said, "With new innovations coming, we may be able to expand upon our online sales calendar in the future." There are also plans to start selling merchandise with the company's logo, which Henningsen said was "one of their most common requests from loyal customers." Henningsen said that new products and innovations will keep coming as long as there's demand.

Sweet Ballz is also targeting growth in other areas. Specifically, Henningsen stated that the company aims to expand into a new sector of the food service industry: the bakeries in grocery stores. As a result, you may start seeing the cake balls at your local grocer sometime in 2025.