Longmont’s GoodLove Foods Lands ‘Shark Tank’ Deal for Gluten-Free Frozen Foods

Chennelle Diong, the founder and CEO of Longmont-based GoodLove Foods, appeared on an episode of ABC’s television show Shark Tank on March 7. Diong pitched her gluten-free frozen food brand to investors (called Sharks), seeking $150,000 for a five-percent stake in the company. She received a deal from investor Lori Greiner for $150,000 and an 18-percent stake in the company. 

GoodLove Foods is a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand that specializes in celiac disease-safe, gluten-free frozen foods that are ready to bake. The products are manufactured in an entirely gluten-free facility, in Longmont. 

Founders and life partners Diong and Justin Beaver, who both have celiac disease, co-founded GoodLove Foods in 2021. Their products, many of which are made by hand by Diong and Beaver, include cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, biscuits, and more, and can be found in certain grocery stores or can be shipped to consumers nationwide. 

“Growing up in my family, food was our love language,” Diong told the Sharks during her pitch. “From my Filipino dad’s famous lumpia to my American mom’s iconic cheesecake. And I made it my personal mission to perfect my own biscuit recipe.”

Diong shared with the Sharks that she had to adopt a gluten-free diet later on in her life. Gluten free foods, she said, often lack a “special something” and get a bad rap. But Diong said that she’d cracked the code when it comes to making gluten free food.

“GoodLove foods [is] a game changing line of frozen, ready-to-bake, nostalgic faves that will blow your mind,” she told the Sharks. “We’re not just ‘good for gluten free,’ we’re ‘unbelievably gluten free’.”

As the Sharks sampled the products, the pitch took an unexpected turn with a lively rollerblade performance, during which three people on rollerblades performed a short choreographed dance. 

“This is amazing, like ‘blow my mind amazing,’” Greiner said about the food.

85 percent of GoodLove Foods’ products are shipped directly to consumers, Diong said. She explained that shipping products was difficult and expensive, which concerned some of the Sharks. Diong also said that GoodLove Foods is on track to make around $500,000 in sales this year and should make a profit for the first time at around 20 percent.

Sharks Daniel Lubetzky, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, and Mark Cuban stepped away from the deal, citing concerns about GoodLove Foods not being ready for “big-time retail.” Greiner then offered Diong $150,000 for a 20-percent stake in the company, which Diong negotiated to 18 percent. 

The founders said that they feel incredibly honored and humbled that their pitch was selected to be aired on the show.