(Amazon)
Sunniva Super Coffee entered the Shark Tank with their organic coffee-coconut oil blended beverages in flavors like Vanilla Bean, Maple Hazelnut and Smooth Mocha. Their drinks are non-GMO, gluten, lactose and sugar-free, and low in calories.
We interviewed Jordan DeCicco, the former Philadelphia University basketball player who got the idea for the company while in college. He told us that although regular black coffee on its own is healthy, a large majority of bottled and mainstream ones include artificial ingredients and high amounts of sugar. The youngest of three boys, Jordan enlisted the aid of his brothers, Jake and Jimmy, and the trio launched the business in January of 2016. That first year, they enjoyed $200,000 and $1.1 million in 2017.
You can find their coffee on the East Coast, primarily from DC to Boston, in places like Whole Foods, Wegmans, Acme, Wawa, QuickChek, college campus independent grocery stores, fitness centers and convenience outlets. As for the future, they would like to
Here’s what else he told us about…
Interested in Sunniva? Buy their super coffee here.
How the Idea Came About in a Dorm Room
As a college athlete, I was always tired. Bouncing back and forth from the basketball court to business classes was exhausting and I was constantly seeking a boost of energy. To fulfill this need, I went to our school convenience store for an energy drink or bottled coffee. Unfortunately, all of their offerings were loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients that I refused to put that into my body. So, in my room, I started concocting my own recipes that were sure to keep me energized and cater to my health standards. I would run to the grocery store and buy organic coffee, protein, coconut oil and all natural, zero calorie sweeteners to bring back and mix up for the week ahead. From there, the foundation of Super Coffee began and it wasn’t long before my dorm room business turned into what we have today.
What Makes Their Coffee ‘Super’
Super Coffee on the hand, uses an organic coffee which is free of harmful pesticides, and instead of polluting our coffee with sugar and carbs, we enhance it with 10 grams of lactose-free Protein, MCT oil from coconuts which is a healthy medium chain fat that your body will burn efficiently for long lasting fuel. And we use absolutely no sugar or artificial sweeteners, but sweeten our products with an organic blend of Monk Fruit and Stevia which are all natural and proven to be two of the healthiest sweeteners on the planet.
Advice For Future ‘Tank’ Contestants
Don’t hold back! Over prepare and know your numbers inside and out, but go in there with confidence like you’re going to steal the show!
Pros & Cons to Working With His Brothers
The pros are the amount of trust, the level of candidness between us, the chemistry/teamwork/vision, the ability to make each other better every day, and it’s just a lot more fun. The cons are we don’t always take each other as seriously as we should and tend to argue a lot more over little details.
Benefits of Adding Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains essential fatty acids that your body will burn as fuel much more efficiently than carbs and sugar. It’s proven to increase energy levels and promote weight loss. Won’t go too much into the science, but there is a ton of research on the benefits of coconut oil and the Ketogenic Diet, which our products will help you maintain.
Interested in Sunniva? Buy their super coffee here.
Another Shark Tank company that uses coconut oil in their products:
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