“It began with a search for something healthy and good-tasting that our mothers would want to eat. Once we had that, we took it to the streets with pop-up stores and street festival sampling, and let the community taste it for themselves,” says Duane “Myko” Cheers, one of the founders of Everything Legendary, a Black-owned vegan meat brand that just got a $300,000 investment from Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban.
Cheers, Danita Claytor, and Jumoke Jackson appeared on the show to pitch their business which he told Veg News, “began with a search for something healthy and good-tasting that our mothers would want to eat.”
“Once we had that, we took it to the streets with pop-up stores and street festival sampling, and let the community taste it for themselves. We all know that today’s consumers are demanding that their food be nutritious and supercharged with flavor. Our brand delivers. It’s Mom-Approved. And now, it’s also Shark-Sanctioned.”
Cuban’s investment bought a 22 percent share in the business. Within 24 hours of the episode airing on February 26, 2021, Everything Legendary sold over $250,000 worth of product.
Having Cuban believe in their business and putting his investment behind them meant a lot to the partners.
“For me,” Cheers said, “this investment is extremely personal. It is validation of my ‘never give up’ philosophy. I heard ‘no’ 1,000,001 times over the years, but this one ‘yes’ moment changes everything.”
The D.C.-based company had been shipping its product directly to consumers, but starting in the spring, Everything Legendary vegan burgers can also be found at retailers including Acme, Giant, and Safeway.
