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encouragement. The three started to work together and launched Sunniva Super Coffee out of Jake’s apartment at Georgetown University. They quickly found success and started selling their product in stores like Whole Foods, Wegmans, and WaWa. Knowing their business could be even more profitable, the brothers decided to go on “Shark Tank” to pitch their business to the most prolific and wealthy investors in the modern age. They explained their product and allowed the sharks to try their four flavors. The brothers asked
investors. Aaron Rodgers, Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, and Baron Davis all backed and invested in the company. The brothers made a distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch, which brought Super Coffee to stores
like Target, Walmart, and CVS. In the two years since appearing on “Shark Tank,” Super Coffee raised its sales numbers from $4 million to $55 million. The company grew in value from $0 to $400 million within five years. The popularity of Super Coffee has grown exponentially. What started as a dorm room experiment has become an Austin-based company that employs over 100 people and manufactures over 30 products, including creamers, bottled coffee, and coffee grounds. The DeCicco brothers and their Super Coffee venture prove you don’t need experience, industry knowledge, or wealthy investors to get your business off the ground. You just need a strong idea and dedication to follow your vision.
for $500,000 in return for a 4.5% ownership of the business. Unfortunately, the sharks were unimpressed. Robert Herjavec, Barbara Corcoran, and Rohan Oza were unimpressed with the taste, while Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner didn’t believe the business could become more profitable. Jake, Jordan, and Jim walked away from “Shark Tank” empty-handed, but they didn’t let that stop them from reaching new levels of growth and success. In 2018, the brothers dropped the “Sunniva” name and rebranded it as “Kitu Life.” The following year, Forbes recognized the brothers on their 30 under 30 list, which garnered the attention of venture capitalists and high-profile
“This was the largest armed robbery in United States history, and it was committed by the FBI.” That jaw-dropping statement came from Robert HANG ON — THE FBI ROBBED A BANK? The Story Behind a Mind-Blowing California Raid Frommer, an attorney representing several hundred people whose safe deposit boxes were emptied during an FBI raid in 2021. In March 2021, armed agents stormed a California U.S. Private Vaults bank branch. They confiscated countless safe deposit boxes — making off with roughly $86 million. Why’d they do this? After investigation, the FBI suspected the branch was catering to criminals hiding cash in Los Angeles. After the raid, U.S. Private Vaults pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder drug money and closed its doors for good. Yet roughly 400 people hired Frommer to get their money back, saying they weren’t criminals. As of March 2023, at least one person still claimed she hadn’t been compensated — even though she wasn’t criminally charged.
HAVE A Laugh
jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com | HarrisonLawGroup.com | 3
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