Ethiopian-born entrepreneur Ayele Solomon of Sonoma, California pitched his honey wine brand Bee D’Vine on Season 12 of Shark Tank. He went into the Tank seeking an investment of $750,000 in exchange for 20 percent equity. He accepted $750,000 for 40 percent from four Sharks (each get ten percent): Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, guest Shark Daniel Lubetzky (KIND Bars), and Robert Herjavec.
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After the Shark Tank episode first aired in November 2020, Ayele told Wine Spectator that with the investment secured, he hopes to give his wines “more ‘varietal’ typicity.” That means “producing distinct honey wines made exclusively from one kind of honey, made by bees consuming pollen from just one type of plant” and perhaps sourcing honey from new locales around the world including small farms in Ethiopia.
New episodes of Shark Tank air Fridays at 8 pm on ABC, right before 20/20 at 9 pm.
