Ice Chips Candy: The Real “Ice Chip Shark Tank” Story (Season 4)
Ice Chips Candy: The Real “Ice Chip Shark Tank” Story (Season 4)
- Ice Chips Candy (what most people search as “ice chip shark tank”) appeared in Shark Tank Season 4, Episode 9 on November 9, 2012.
- Founders Beverly Vines-Haines and Charlotte Clary (the self-described “grannies in a garage”) asked for $250,000 for 15% of their xylitol-based, sugar-free candy company.
- They accepted an on-air offer from Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran for $250,000 in exchange for 40% equity, but the deal later did not close during due diligence.
- The “Ice Chips Shark Tank” exposure triggered $300,000+ in extra orders within days, helped them invest in automation, and pushed revenue into the $4–5 million/year range a decade later.
- Today, Ice Chips sells 20+ flavors of xylitol candy, positions itself as “The Good for You Candy,” and is still in business out of Yelm, Washington.
If you’ve ever Googled “ice chip shark tank” after seeing two grandmas smashing a sheet of candy with a hammer, you were looking for Ice Chips Candy.
Ice Chips is a hard candy made with xylitol instead of sugar — a sweetener that’s been studied for oral health benefits and is often recommended by dentists. Founders Beverly Vines-Haines and Charlotte Clary walked into Shark Tank in Season 4 with a simple pitch: a candy that tastes like real sugar but is safer for diabetics, easier on teeth, and actually recommended in some dental offices.
Here’s the full breakdown of the Ice Chips Shark Tank pitch, the deal, and what happened to the brand after the cameras stopped rolling.
Ice Chips Candy on Shark Tank: The “Ice Chip Shark Tank” Pitch
Ice Chips appeared in Season 4, Episode 9 (often referenced as “episode 408/409” in recaps), which originally aired on November 9, 2012. The episode also featured Drive Suits, Revestor, and PC Classes Online.
Beverly and Charlotte introduced themselves as grandmothers from Yelm, Washington with a combined 37+ grandchildren. They’d already run a line of natural skincare products together before switching focus to xylitol candy in 2009.
| 🦈 ICE CHIPS SHARK TANK DEAL SHEET | |
|---|---|
| Company | Ice Chips Candy (often searched as “ice chip shark tank”) |
| Founders | Beverly Vines-Haines & Charlotte Clary |
| Episode | Season 4, Episode 9 – aired Nov 9, 2012 |
| Ask | $250,000 for 15% equity (valuation ≈ $1.67M) |
| On-air Deal | $250,000 for 40% (Mark Cuban & Barbara Corcoran) |
| Sales at Pitch Time | ≈ $360k in 2011; ≈ $342k year-to-date 2012; projecting ≈ $1M for 2012 |
| Post-Show Reality | Deal did not close, but >$300k extra orders after airing; scaled to ≈ $4–5M annual revenue by early 2020s |
| Current Status | Still in business; 20+ flavors; online & retail distribution |
On the show, the Sharks learned that Ice Chips:
- Uses birch-derived xylitol instead of sugar.
- Is marketed as safe for diabetics and “good for teeth.”
- Comes in flavors like peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, lemon, berry mix, licorice, coffee cream, and more (17 flavors at the time of filming).
The Sharks were surprised that the candies didn’t “taste sugar-free” and several of them openly said they’d eat Ice Chips even if they weren’t looking for a diet or dental product.
The Numbers Behind the Ice Chips Shark Tank Pitch
During the Ice Chips Shark Tank segment, Beverly and Charlotte laid out solid, already-profitable numbers for a small manufacturer:
- 2011 revenue: ≈ $360,000
- 2012 (YTD at filming): ≈ $342,000
- 2012 projection: on track to hit ≈ $1 million
- Cost per tin: ≈ $1.11
- Wholesale price: ≈ $3.12
- Suggested retail: ≈ $5 per tin
- Distribution pre-Tank: around 1,000+ accounts, including health food stores and dental offices
Those margins — plus recurring orders from dentists and health stores — got all five Sharks engaged. Daymond John even floated a licensing/manufacturing play to offload production to a larger candy plant.
Who Invested in Ice Chips on Shark Tank?
Multiple Sharks circled Ice Chips:
- Barbara Corcoran initially offered $125,000 for 33%, contingent on bringing in another Shark.
- Kevin O’Leary tried to partner with Barbara at a higher equity slice.
- Daymond John proposed $250,000 for 30%, focused on outsourcing manufacturing.
- Mark Cuban ultimately joined Barbara instead.
After some back-and-forth, the founders accepted a joint offer from Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran for $250,000 in exchange for 40% equity. That cut their valuation from about $1.67M to roughly $625k.
Important detail: that was the on-air deal. Like many Shark Tank agreements, it never closed after due diligence. Later interviews and state economic development write-ups confirm that structural issues and ownership questions killed the deal, but the relationship stayed friendly.
What Is Ice Chips Candy, Exactly?
Ice Chips are irregular shards of hard candy — they pour a sheet, let it set, and literally break it into “chips.” Instead of sugar, they use xylitol, a sugar alcohol occurring in small amounts in plants and produced in the human body.
The xylitol angle matters because:
- Oral bacteria don’t metabolize xylitol the way they metabolize sugar, so you don’t get the same acid attack on enamel.
- Studies have associated regular xylitol use with reduced cavity risk and improved remineralization.
- It doesn’t spike insulin the way sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup can.
Dentists and hygienists are a big part of their market; a number of dental practices specifically highlight Ice Chips for dry mouth and cavity-prone patients.
Ice Chips Shark Tank Clip (Video)
ABC hasn’t posted a full “Ice Chips Shark Tank” segment on YouTube, but this short feature highlights the brand as seen on the show:
(If you embed this in WordPress, use a Custom HTML block so the responsive wrapper stays intact.)
Did the Ice Chips Shark Tank Deal Close?
No. The headline “Ice Chip Shark Tank deal” you see around the web refers to the on-air agreement with Cuban and Corcoran — but that contract didn’t survive due diligence.
Multiple post-show sources and the founders themselves confirm:
- The $250k for 40% equity deal was agreed to in the Tank.
- During legal and structural review, they couldn’t align on how to restructure the business.
- Both sides walked away amicably; no equity changed hands.
From a business perspective, this turned out to be a blessing. Beverly and Charlotte kept 100% of their company and still got all the benefits of what people now call the “Shark Tank effect.”
The Shark Tank Effect: What Happened After Airing?
The night the episode aired, Ice Chips saw a massive spike in demand:
- They logged $300,000+ in additional orders shortly after broadcast.
- 2012 revenue finished well over $1 million, not just the originally projected number.
- The surge funded new manufacturing equipment and a move from hand-poured, hand-hammered production to more automated lines.
By 2015 they’d moved into a larger facility and continued expanding their flavor lineup and distribution. They even landed licensing tie-ins, such as a Disney “Finding Dory”–themed candy line.
Where Is Ice Chips Candy Now?
A decade after the original Ice Chips Shark Tank appearance, the company is very much alive and growing:
- Still based in or near Yelm, Washington.
- Reported annual revenue in the ~$4–5 million range by 2022–2023.
- Product line has expanded to 20+ flavors, including seasonal and specialty blends.
- Available via their official site, Amazon, dental offices, health food chains, and other retailers.
- Founders have picked up recognition like Encore Entrepreneurs of the Year in Washington state.
In other words, Ice Chips turned an unclosed Shark Tank deal into a long-term win by keeping control, capitalizing on the publicity, and quietly building a xylitol candy niche that dentists and sugar-sensitive customers keep coming back to.
Official Links & Resources for Ice Chips Candy
- Official Website:
https://www.icechips.com - ABC Episode Listing (Season 4):
ABC – Season 4 episode guide (Ice Chips listed under Episode 9 / 408) - Shark Tank Recap & Deal Details:
SharkTankRecap – Ice Chips Candy Update - Post-Show Growth & Revenue:
Mashed – What Happened to Ice Chips Candy After Shark Tank - Video – “As Seen On Shark Tank” Clip:
YouTube – Ice Chips Candy (SharkTycoon) - Images Used:
PNGKit Ice Chips peppermint tin and licorice tin assets, which explicitly allow embedding.
Sebastyen
Sebastyen Wolf is our Editor-in-Chief. He is an analyst and entrepreneur with experience working alongside early-stage founders, launching online ventures, and studying the data patterns that shape successful companies. A fan of Shark Tank since Season 1, he now focuses on translating the show’s most valuable insights into clear, practical takeaways for readers.
