Vegan entrepreneur Mark Cuban invested in Black-owned business Everything Legendary, which makes plant-based burgers, on Shark Tank last week.
Entrepreneurial show Shark Tank welcomed vegan burgers in last week’s episode, with three Washington DC-bred entrepreneurs seeking a $300,000 investment. And they got it, albeit at a different stake than intended.
Mark Cuban, himself a vegan and known to invest in plant-based products, made an offer for a 22% stake, as opposed to the original 10% that the entrepreneurs sought. And they accepted, because they knew the value of getting their product out in the market.
The entrepreneurs, Jumoke Jackson, Danita Claytor and Duane “Myko” Cheers, represented Everything Legendary, a Black-owned company making revolutionary vegan burgers and promoting healthy eating.
Jackson, the chef, created a proprietary recipe that the brand claims tastes just like beef. It’s made with hemp and pea protein, coconut oil, two types of paprika, dried herbs, dried citrus and an in-house broth. The Legendary Burger is soy- and gluten-free, and comes in four varieties: the classic burger, cheddar cheese-infused, cayenne pepper cheese-infused and pepper jack cheese-infused.
With 20g of protein and only 9g of fat per serving, the burgers come in boxes of four, eight or 16, each with a bottle of its Everything Legendary’s signature vegan sauce.
The brand launched in 2019, selling to grocery stores and restaurants in the Washington area, and pivoted to e-commerce in 2020 as Covid-19 hit. The mission is more than just to sell food. Everything Legendary wants to make the world a healthier place, educate the community on the benefits of a vegan lifestyle, break the cycle of unhealthy eating that has been passed from one generation to next in families, and inspire the next generation of Black entrepreneurs.
The burgers are amazing. The entrepreneurs are legendary too ! @DuaneMyko @go_legendary_co. https://t.co/Tg1YfyQbxn
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 27, 2021
Apart from Cheers, “the idea man” with diverse entrepreneurial knowledge, Claytor, “the strategist” with a philanthropic spirit, and Jackson, “the flavor specialist” and chef who has worked under renowned names in the food industry, the team consists of two other people. Cynthia Betterson, “the innovator”, commercialises the food products and Vince, “the showrunner” is the chief operating officer.
One major criticism for the Everything Legendary vegan burgers is the price, with eight frozen patties costing a whopping $74.95, and a 16-pack priced at $119.95.
