Here's What Happened To Dollop Gourmet After Shark Tank

Winner of Season 4 of the Food Network baking competition "Cupcake Wars," Heather Saffer offered an alternative to artificial cake frosting with her business Dollop Gourmet. The specialty toppings were intended to have the same quality as classic homemade frostings but with the convenience of store-bought brands. Saffer was also adamant that her frostings were accessible to everyone, which is why she developed her products to be non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and soy-free. Along with her other business ventures, the health-minded baker released a cookbook titled "The Dollop Book of Frosting: Sweet and Savory Icings, Spreads, Meringues, and Ganaches for Dessert and Beyond" to help others experience the joy of all-natural frosting.

Before starting Dollop, Saffer ran a bakery in Rochester, New York. When that business failed, she opened up a new bakery three weeks later. "I find a lot of value in failure," she told WXXI News in 2014. "If you don't fail, you're not going to the next level. If you don't take the risks to fail, then you're not really going to get anywhere." This enlightened perspective eventually led Saffer to "Shark Tank," where she was ultimately offered a deal by Barbara Corcoran. Unfortunately, Saffer's deal with Corcoran didn't go as planned, and the baked goods innovator eventually put her business up for sale. 

During her appearance on "Shark Tank," Heather Saffer asked for $75,000 for a 20% stake in Dollop Gourmet. All the Sharks appeared quite impressed with her confidence, especially after she revealed she was completely self-taught. Saffer learned the ins and outs of baking through Google searches and YouTube and used the same approach to publish her first baking cookbook. "You are the definition of 'don't know when to quit," Robert Herjavec told her. Unfortunately, he also revealed he doesn't like frosting, so he was the first one out.

"Sharks" Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban also declined Saffer, but Kevin O'Reilly swooped in and offered of $75,000 for 33.3% with the intent to include Dollop Gourmet in the Wicked Good Cupcakes product line. Barbara Corcoran made an offer as well, which amounted to $75,000 for a 30% stake. Saffer ultimately negotiated Corcoran down to 25%, and a deal was struck. As often happens on "Shark Tank," the agreement between Saffer and Corcoran never came to fruition. It's not totally clear why Dollop Gourmet's deal was unsuccessful, but many contestants on the show either never finalize their deal or agree to altered terms after their episodes. 

After "Shark Tank," Dollop Gourmet expanded further by selling products on QVC, despite Lori Greiner initially saying that she didn't envision the business appearing on the shopping network. Heather Saffer also released her second cookbook "Crazy Easy Vegan Desserts" in 2018. While the company's original frosting options appearing on "Shark Tank" were Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Sea Salted Caramel, Madagascar Vanilla, and Hot Chocolate, a new flavor, Cream Cheese Cashmere was eventually introduced. Dollop Gourmet maintained an active presence on Instagram, and currently, the follower count is holding strong at over 11,000. 

Despite these impressive strides, Saffer admitted to Democrat & Chronicle that in 2018, she felt that the time was right to move on from Dollop Gourmet. Saffer announced the sale of the business on Facebook and asked for $150,000 (though she said she was willing to negotiate on the price). As explained by Saffer, "I've been so focused on my professional life and working hard to achieve my dreams over the past nine years that I'm in definite need of some time to recharge." The baking entrepreneur also said, "I may start another business or partner with someone on a new idea that excites me."

Heather Saffer sold Dollop Gourmet to Canadian company Mimac Glaze in 2019. At the time of the sale, Saffer had nothing but good things to say about the company that acquired her brand. She praised Mimac for its four decades in the frosting industry and claimed that the company was willing to adhere to her original vision of offering inclusive frostings while improving the current product line and developing new items. While Saffer expressed high hopes for Mimac Glaze, there are a few indications that Dollop Gourmet is no more. 

For instance, all the products featured on the company website are currently listed as sold out. Dollop Gourmet also claimed to be having problems with its gluten-free and non-GMO certifications and supply chain in 2021 (according to a reply from the company on Instagram). According to another Instagram post from 2022, Dollop Gourmet was awaiting new packaging and labels before product shipping resumed. However, a more recent post on the social media platform included a comment from a customer asking, "Are there any products not sold out and will they be back in stock?" which received no reply from Dollop Gourmet. Similarly, the Mimac Glaze website doesn't seem to offer any products for sale online and doesn't mention Dollop Gourmet directly. 

While it's unclear what the future holds for Dollop Gourmet, founder Heather Saffer has certainly kept busy since her appearance on "Shark Tank." Immediately after selling Dollop she created Heather & Donald — named for herself and her dog, Donald. On an episode of The Physical Product Movement podcast, she explained that Heather & Donald was a non-profit "passion project" that entailed creating original artwork for mugs and t-shirts "to raise money for animal rescues." While the website for the project no longer works, Saffer's loyal canine companion remains a beloved part of her personal Instagram account.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Saffer currently spends much of her time serving as an advisor and entrepreneur in residence for many businesses. She's also pursued several other business ventures that have failed to reach the lofty heights of Dollop Gourmet. In 2022, she co-founded Yonderplate, but that website appears to have expired. And in 2023, Saffer also co-founded the G-Works Venture Studio for General Mills. However, that project has since been discontinued. While the road to business success hasn't been totally smooth for Saffer, her tenacity is definitely something to be admired.