Delighted by Hummus on ‘Shark Tank’: A Look Inside the Sweet Spreadable Treats

Delighted by Hummus entered the Shark Tank with their dessert hummus in flavors like Brownie Batter and Snickerdoodle. They still use chickpeas and tahini as key ingredients, but replace the garlic and lemon with cinnamon and vanilla and the olive oil, with coconut oil.

We interviewed founder Makenzie Marzluff, who creates the recipes using her holistic nutrition and culinary background. She said since hitting shelves in the spring of 2016, they’ve sold 600,000 tubs.

It is the first company to ever launch a full line of dessert hummus, with Brownie Batter as their top seller, and Vanilla Bean, Choc O Mint and Snickerdoodle tied. 

Here’s what else she told us about…

How the Idea Came About

I was going to a Super Bowl party, and being the sweet tooth I am, I wanted to bring a healthy version of a cookie dough dip. I thought, “Why not put chickpeas in the blender and see what I can come up with?” It was a total hit at the party, and I kept having to remind people “It’s not cookie dough, it’s hummus!” By the time I launched Delighted By as a company, my intention was much bigger than simply offering an alternative to processed desserts. My actual mission was to simply “spread my glitter,” and inspire people to do more of what they are delighted by in life.

Where You Can Buy It

People can buy our dessert hummus at Publix, Jewel-Osco, Harris Teeter, Hy-Vee, Wegmans, King Soopers, select Whole Foods stores in the Northeast region, Mariano’s, various independents and select Walmart stores. We hope to reach national distribution by the end of the year, including increased Whole Foods regions, Aldi, Starbucks, Target, Sprouts and Natural Grocers. 

Advice for Future ‘Tank’ Contestants

My advice is to be very gentle with yourself. Maintain your internal knowing of why you started this business and what is driving you. It’s intense in there, to say the least; the last thing I want to see is entrepreneurs get discouraged from what only they know is true and right for their businesses and essentially their lives.

Plans for the Future

 My future plans are to build Delighted By to national distribution from a place of alignment, and to transfer her-yes, I refer to my business as separate from me- to another entity where she can really thrive. My vision for Delighted By is massive, but am I the one to bring her there? Not necessarily. All I want for Delighted By is to see her fly, to see her impact a lot of lives, and to see people across the globe delighting in this high-vibe product. My intention in starting this company never included an exit strategy, but as I saw what DB was really up to along the way, I acknowledged that my service to her won’t be a forever thing. I think we will see this happen sooner than later, the question is who is ready for her? It’s going to require an entity/company who is open-hearted, ready to do this whole conscious enterprise thing, and willing to circulate resources to a brand that is actually making a difference in the world. 

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