Before Al "Bubba" Baker appeared on Shark Tank in late 2013, his boneless baby back rib business, Bubba's Q, was doing $154,000 in sales. Just a little over three years later, he's bringing in a cool $16 million — and he expects to finish out the year stronger than ever.
"The future couldn't be brighter for Al," Daymond John, the shark who invested in Baker's company on the show, said on a behind-the-scenes special of Shark Tank: Swimming With Sharks last April. "I still believe that this will potentially be my biggest deal ever."
Bubba's-Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs are now on sale on QVC, at more than 5,000 retail stores, as well as at Yankee Stadium, but the massive jump in sales is the result of getting a contract with the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, CKE Restaurants, earlier this year. While the initial order back in April was for 1 million pounds of boneless baby back ribs to use in a new burger in 3,000 of its franchises, they're already in talks to order another 2 million pounds.
Delish spoke to Baker about how he started his business, just how much of his success he owes to Shark Tank, and what's next for Bubba's-Q.
Baker's Wife Sabrina Inspired the Multi-Million Dollar Product.
Baker played football for the NFL for 13 seasons for teams like the Detroit Lions and the St. Louis Cardinals. But barbecue was always a family business for Baker. He learned the trade from his uncle, "Daddy Jr.", but it was Baker's wife, Sabrina, that inspired his multi-million idea. When he realized that Sabrina didn't like eating ribs because they were too messy, he found a way to debone them after they were cooked and reheat them in a microwave in just two minutes, so you could make them quickly and eat them with a fork and knife. Then he patented his idea.
Baker's Daughter Convinced Him to Audition for 'Shark Tank'.
Even though Baker was quick to patent his idea, his business struggled, only bringing in $154,000 sales through his restaurant in Avon, Ohio and 48 local Ohio stores that sold his product. That's when Brittani Bo Baker, his daughter and business partner, convinced him to audition for Shark Tank.
One Deal Changed Everything.
On the episode that aired December 5, 2013, Baker asked the sharks for $300,000 and 15 percent equity in his business. While he received two offers, he went with Daymond John's deal to invest $300,00 for a 30 percent share of the company with a licensing deal.
Before the episode aired, John encouraged Baker to set up a website to take online orders. Just 24 hours after the episode aired, Bubba's-Q received $150,000 in orders through their website, and by the end of the week that number had grown to more than $400,000.
"If I hadn't garnered the $300,000 we got from Shark Tank, we'd never have gotten this far," Baker said on the update episode in April.
Daymond John Continues to Support the Business.
"If you ever watch the first three years of Shark Tank, I would not buy anything that you could consume," Daymond John said on "The James Altucher Show" podcast earlier this year. "Because of my years at Red Lobster, when I saw how food was being lost or wasted, whatever the case is, I never wanted to deal with perishables."
But now Bubba's-Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs is one of the biggest companies in his portfolio, calling it potentially his "biggest deal ever."
"You can't even put a number on what he's done for the company," Brittani says, pointing out how John's posts to his more than half a million followers on Twitter and Instagram has helped the company grow.
"He's become more like family than a partner. Anything we need, he's there, no questions asked," Brittani says. "He's a good person … he's in it to help entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams."
Expect To Start Seeing Bubba's-Q Everywhere.
While Baker is already looking ahead to next spring when his company is planning on releasing two new flavors of boneless ribs — honey and teriyaki — he says the potential to grow the business in the fourth quarter of 2017 alone is tremendous.
"Most of it has to do with the exposure that we obtained from Shark Tank," Baker says.
Since last April, Baker has brought his boneless ribs to another 3,000 retail stores, including Kroger, Albertsons, Shop Rite, Food Lion, and Meijer locations across the country.
But that's not all. Baker told Delish he's in talks with Disney to potentially use the boneless ribs in original recipes in their theme parks. While nothing is confirmed yet, he compared the deal to being on third base with them.
"They've got to decide if they want to go all the way with us," Baker says.
Baker also has a meeting later this month to begin talks with the Department of Defense to bring the boneless ribs to U.S. troops as a ration, since they can be microwaved and don't require an oven to be cooked. If his company lands that deal, Baker says it would be an "honor to feed those kind of people who defend our borders. There's more to that than just money. That is a tremendous honor."
Whether those deals actually become reality in the next year, Baker's ultimate goal is to have his boneless ribs to be so well known they'll become another American classic like hot dogs, hamburgers, and apple pies are now.
"My daughter and I are huge dreamers," Baker says. "We all believe that anything is possible if you believe. And we believe."
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