The idea of fighting with mega multinationals for a brand new tortilla chip seems unachievable nowadays. As self-proclaimed specialists, the Big Brands have controlled retail shelves for ages with a wide variety of tortilla chips on the market.
To make tortilla chips, normal grain maize was considered acceptable at some point in the growth of the process. With a “cheaper price” than other varieties of sweet corn, normal grain corn accounts for 95 percent among all acres cultivated in the United States.
Corn is the primary ingredient in most tortilla chips. Grains such as maize are known for their nutty taste and rich-dried kernels.
Grain corn is harvested in the autumn when the grains have solidified atop the corn cobs and are ready to be picked. To feed cattle and ethanol oil, maize becomes the primary source of maize grain.
It doesn’t matter whether we utilize high-quality sweet corn since we’ve been consuming substandard tortilla chips so much and for so long that we have little idea what superior tastes like.
Cameron Sheldrake, a third-generation farming family from Ithaca of New York, has successfully entered the Shank Tank Pitch for his business ideas on making Off The Cob Chip, the reinvention and best quality in tortilla chips.
During the pitch, he presented “Off the Cob Chips”, an organic corn chip firm. A 15% ownership in the business is what Cameron seeks from panels of sharks in return for $100,000.
Company Overview in Shark Tank
| Company Name | Off the Cob Tortilla Chips |
| Episode | Season 6 Episode 10 |
| Product Offering | Gluten-free, Cholesterol-free, and Non-GMO sweet corn tortilla chips |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Cameron Sheldrake |
| Required Investment | $100,000 for 15% stake in the company |
| Closing Deal | No Deal |
| Offered Sharks | No Shark |
| Current Business Status | Out of Business |
What is Off The Cob Chips?
Employing sweet corn rather than regular grain corn, Off the Cob Chips creates a more flavorful corn tortilla chip than any other firm in the industry has done before.
Chips are made from sweet corn, organic yellow and white corn, sunflower oil, sea salt, and cane sugar are key star ingredients.
Unlike other tortilla chips, this ground-breaking food firm has a “true corn on the cob” flavor because it is made entirely of organic sweet corn rather than grain corn, which provides a starchy and bland flavor.
Not only is Off The Cob Chips’ corn contains high-quality in terms of taste, but they’re also better for you. In terms of nutritional values, this tortilla chip is made from non-genetically engineered maize, and the final product is cholesterol-free, gluten-free, sodium-free, non-GMO, and trans-fat-free.
The corn is grown on modest farmlands in the Midwest region of the U.S. As a part of their business model, they use sweet corn that was otherwise discarded to make tortilla chips.
How Does Off The Cob Chips Work?
Each and every one of Off The Cob Chips’ creations are handcrafted from scratch with only the finest and freshest sweet corn available.
In addition to being deliciously eaten straight, you can also make a richer and more flavorful tortilla chip from sweet corn.
All of the maize used in Off the Cob Chips is 100% organic and safe from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The corn used by Off the Cob Chips is cultivated on small-scale family-owned farms in the Midwest United States. The maize that Cameron uses produces a lighter, sweeter, and healthier chip than most commercially manufactured chips.
Who Founded Off The Cob Chips? Founder Backgrounds
Cameron Sheldrake was a graduate of Babson College, and today he is the company’s creator and CEO. You may not know that the school in Boston was where he studied when the product was first conceptualized and then manufactured and sold to consumers worldwide.
With a degree in economics, he had always envisioned himself as a businessman.
Consequently, he took advantage of every chance he had to bring his chips to life!
Moreover, Cameron learned the sweet corn trade from his father and grandfather, a third-generation farmers in Ithaca.
This is the family property where Cameron grew up and where delicious corn has been grown for centuries. He was horrified to see how much delicious corn was thrown away each year owing to a lack of buyers.
While Cameron enjoys a more savory flavor, he also opens to trying new things. The founder was not discouraged by the notion that sweet corn has a shorter shelf life, then he overcame the challenge to become the first mover to implement sweet corn to make tortilla chips in the U.S.
More importantly, he did not let the shorter life span of sweet corn stop him, and as a result, he was the leading person to come up with the idea of utilizing sweet corn to make tortilla chips.
Off The Cob Chips Business Before Shark Tank
Prior to his appearance on Shark Tank, this founder had funded more than $15,000 via a fantastic Kickstarter campaign to convert his initial concept into reality.
Cameron has developed a tortilla chip that is completely composed of sweet corn. The company pioneered the use of fresh-picked sweet corn associated with tortilla chips in the United States.
Gluten-free, Non-GMO, low in salt, and free from cholesterol and trans fats make tortilla chips from Off Cob become a better healthy alternative.
There is no doubt that corn becomes a critical ingredient in Cameron’s chips, making them sweeter, lighter, and more nutritious than conventionally processed chips.
As with plenty of food businesses featured on The Shark Tank, Cameron is most likely looking for financing to help with distribution and inventory.
Off The Cob Chips During Shark Tank Pitch
We begin with a visit to the farm family, where we learn that the Cameron regularly dispose of an excessive amount of this delicate sweet corn.
To avoid wasting food, he developed the idea of “Off the Cob Tortilla Chips”. Cameron joins the Tank with a goal of earning $100,000 with the ROI of 15% in ownership.
First, Cameron wants to know whether the sharks like grain corn or sweet corn for dinner. He tried to explain variances between sweet corn and grain corn.
Whenever you boil maize on the cob, it is a relaxing moment that you can enjoy the sweet variety. It’s hard to go wrong with Off the Cob Chips! He gives away his samples, and Shark Nick shows his appreciation for Cameron’s choice of product packaging and name.
It is still possible to get Off-the-Cob Chips; however, the price has not lowered, and the item is tough to locate in physical retailers.
For pricing, a 24-pack (1-ounce bag) costs $24.99, while a 12-pack (12-ounce bag) costs $59.99 from an online site.
There are currently 45 places where he can be found, and Lori confesses that she cannot identify the distinction between two types of maize, such as grain corn vs. sweet corn.
When it comes to the price of sweet corn, it’s five times more expensive than grain.
Mr. Wonderful takes issue with the price discrepancy. At least 100 outlets are planned, and a significant snack food supplier is expected to join the operation.
He sells the bags to wholesalers at $1.60 each piece, which he creates for about 85 cents.
Mr. Wonderful quits because of problems. Daymond and Mark, after that, also agree.
Lori is a huge fan of the chips, yet she fears scaling them would be difficult. Nick has no intentions to participate despite his claim to be price agnostic.
When asked whether he thinks Cameron will continue, Nick responds: “Yes, I do.”
In his statement, Cameron emphasized that he plans to keep things he is currently doing – selling chips.
Off The Cob Chips Closing Deal in Shark Tank
As a result, Off The Cob Chips and Sharks are at odds, and no shark decided to offer the deal at all.
Off The Cob Chips After Shark Tank
A 15 percent stake in Cameron’s company is what he hopes to get in his Shark Tank pitch, equating to $666,666.67 in value.
The business has seen some growth stunting, which may be ascribed to the production technique used in tortilla chips production.
The company utilizes sweet corn compared to grain corn because it is more time-consuming, money, and skill to cultivate; therefore, the cost might be difficult to cut.
Although sweet corn is cultivated all over the United States, it is still a popular crop. Growing it all year in Florida is possible; nevertheless, you never know the Great Plains area makes the growing extraordinary.
Current Update: Is Off The Cob Chips Still In Business?
When these chip products were originally sold at Whole Foods and on Amazon, they were seen as a promising item because of their high price point.
In November 2021, the company’s classification was changed to “Inexistence,” indicating that it has discontinued operations.
Therefore, Cameron made his way back to the farm where he grew up. This company’s activities have come to an end.
