When Francheska “Frankie” Yamsuan pedaled her turquoise “Icicle Tricycle” out onto the Shark Tank stage, where she was selling vegan ice cream cookie sandwiches, she got the Sharks’ attention and everyone else’s. Her product, which she created using coconut milk and other natural ingredients, was already on store shelves in Whole Foods and had a distribution deal.
But now, a few years later, the future of her brand, Coconut Girl, is uncertain. What started as a promising health-food start-up, meanwhile, has settled into a long silence: Social media hasn’t been updated in months; its website is defunct; and public records suggest that it may no longer be active.
We'll examine what transpired after Shark Tank in this article, including the agreement she made, the difficulties she encountered, the effects of the epidemic on business, and the current situation. The full tale may never be made public, but the evidence suggests that the brand rose, faltered, and may now be parked in obscurity.
From Shark Tank triumph to silent scaling
Coconut Girl quickly entered new markets and forged alliances after landing a contract with Shark Tank star Mark Cuban. However, manufacturing, distribution, and market conditions eventually caused that same momentum to stagnate.
The Shark Tank win and early growth
Frankie made a $180,000 pitch to Coconut Girl during Season 11 in exchange for 18% equity. Following talks and a significant response from the Sharks, she accepted an offer from Mark Cuban to help scale her firm, in exchange for a 20% reduction in stock.
Before appearing on Shark Tank, she had already established a local following by distributing frozen cookie sandwiches at local fitness events and CrossFit facilities. Her menu included dairy-free and cruelty-free flavor selections, including "Loose Vanilla," "Aloha Chocolate," and "Beach Bum Maple."
During Season 11, Frankie offered Coconut Girl $180,000 in exchange for 18% of the company. After discussions and a strong reaction from the Sharks, she agreed to Mark Cuban's offer to assist in growing her business in exchange for a 20% stock cut.
She gained local recognition prior to her Shark Tank appearance by handing out frozen cookie sandwiches at CrossFit gyms and fitness events. Examples of dairy-free and cruelty-free flavors on her menu were "Loose Vanilla," "Aloha Chocolate," and "Beach Bum Maple."
The decline: Silence, shutdown, and what went wrong
The warning symptoms were growing by 2024. Public updates stopped, Coconut Girl's website went down, and their Instagram account stopped posting (last seen in April 2024).
Frankie Yamsuan has admitted that her supply lines and store restocking attempts were thrown off when the COVID-19 epidemic struck, only one week after her appearance on the show. On the Badass Basic B** podcast, she informed listeners that despite Cuban's investment, pandemic disruptions made logistics and production all but impossible, particularly for a frozen product that needs cold-chain consistency.
Competition in the health-food space and the difficulty of growing a specialized "ice cream sandwich" business model increased the strain. According to reports, the cost of exporting frozen goods, preserving quality, and guaranteeing ingredient consistency drove the company's growth beyond what its initial retail success could support.
The CEO, FRANKIE, resigned in January 2024. It's unclear from the brand's disappearance if Coconut Girl is no longer in business or just idle. The entire online and social media presence suggests that the brand is paused.
Watch more Shark Tank pitches on ABC.