🦈 From Tap to Tank: How YALA Brewed a Shark Deal

I always watched Shark Tank for fun — never once thinking I’d actually walk through those double doors.

So when I got the call last year from the producers, my first reaction was: “Wait, seriously?”
Less than two years into building YALA Kombucha, our cozy little homegrown business was about to go prime time. I was supposed to go pitch this family-born idea on national TV. Wild.

🎬 Lights, Camera... Crumpled Dress?

At first, I was excited. Then, as the shoot day approached, the nerves set in.

Between prepping with the production team, rehearsing (and re-rehearsing) the pitch, and figuring out what on earth one wears on TV, I was barely sleeping. My mind was full of numbers, ideas — and now, apparently, wardrobe anxiety.

The morning of the shoot, we left Abu Dhabi early. Shoutout to Maria at MagioHair who made sure I looked as “TV-presentable” as possible. But when we pulled up near the Dubai TV studio? Missed the turn — twice. Arrived late. Stress? Sky-high.

And then: disaster. My dress — the one I was supposed to pitch in — was crumpled. My wonderful operations manager/husband/I-don’t-know-what-hat-he-was-wearing-that-day had packed it... just not very gently.

What followed was a frantic hunt for a place to iron it. Google Maps led us to a little Pakistani shop with “ironing” in the name. The guy was still sleeping on the floor when we arrived. We handed him 20 AED and a prayer. He delivered. Miraculously.

🎤 Showtime

We made it to the studio 10 minutes before filming. My partner (YALA’s real-life COO) got stationed behind the tap bar to pour kombucha. I got wired up, grabbed the pitch, and then — it was time.

One door opened. Then another. Lights. Cameras. Sharks.
Five serious investors. Two jittery founders. And a bar full of kombucha.

I started the pitch — which, for once in my life, I’d memorized. And of course, I still twisted the plot midway. But I pushed through. Then: the Sharks tried our award-winning Ginger & Lemon kombucha on tap.

And the questions came flying: what's your background, how you come up with your numbers, how you are better than a home-made kombucha, what you plan for the business...etc etc

What you see on TV? That’s about third of what actually happens. We pitched for 15 minutes. Maybe 20. Deals started coming in. We asked to leave the room, think, and return. Behind the doors, we whispered in Lithuanian to each other: "Ne, neimam" ('No, let's not take it). 

💸 The Deal

Back in the studio, we shocked them.

I said: “Thank you, Sharks — but NO.”

Ellie Khoury literally jumped up. “You HAVE to counter-offer!” she insisted (that part never made the final cut). So we stood our ground — no more than 15%.

Then something unexpected: a bidding war between Sima Ved, Founder of Apparel Group, and Ellie Khoury, CEO of Vivium Capital, teased by Amira Sajwani, MD at DAMAC.

In the end, Ellie won our hearts.

We walked out of Shark Tank studio with the deal:
💰 1 million AED investment
📢 500k AED for marketing
🤝 In exchange for 15% of YALA Kombucha

(You can get glimpses of action here and here.) 

🌱 After the Tank

As I walked out, my mic pack started sliding down my dress. Classic. But we were buzzing — not just from the kombucha.

To any entrepreneur reading this: being on Shark Tank is like nothing else. I’ve spoken on stages, in boardrooms, in bars. But nothing compares to those two doors opening, five Sharks watching, and your entire business story resting on one pitch.

So yes, we said yes on Shark Tank. And no — we’re not slowing down. We’re expanding, brewing bigger, and bringing YALA to more places (and people) than ever before.

Thanks for being part of the journey. 💛

 

P.S. Want to taste the blend that made the Sharks bite?
Try our Ginger & Lemon — poured fresh on air, sealed cold for you.