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The Sharks were impressed with Taaluma Totes but wouldn’t invest
Jack and Alley DuFour (then Alley Heffern) had a lot to unpack when they took Taaluma Totes to “Shark Tank” during Season 6. Looking to give away 15% of the company for $110,000, their colorful bags impressed the Sharks. They were even happier when Jack DuFour revealed they’d sold $60,000 of products in just 10 months. That meant Taaluma Totes was able to provide $6,000 in loans to international, small businesspeople who needed a little help.
Alley DuFour explained they needed the six-figure sum to keep up with stock flow after running out of their backpacks multiple times. But despite the Sharks’ initial positive reaction, Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Kevin O’Leary agreed Taaluma Totes wasn’t an investment opportunity. Herjavec felt the business was still in its infancy, and Cuban told the couple, “You should be proud. Great product, but you’re not a company.” Greiner agreed that the DuFour’s brainchild wasn’t at the stage it needed to be for an investment, as she told the entrepreneurs they needed to make mistakes first to become stronger.
It was bad news from John, too, who felt the patterned bags didn’t have a high enough price point to scale the company. “That means you will not be able to sustain at the current price,” he explained as he became the fourth Shark to drop out. Sadly, O’Leary made it a full house, which meant the DuFours met the same fate as fellow rejected “Shark Tank” business SilkRoll and left the Tank deal-less.
Thousands of sales poured in after the Shark Tank rejection
Though Taaluma Totes didn’t land a coveted “Shark Tank” investment, interest didn’t slow down. In fact, things ramped up. “Not getting picked by the Sharks was okay with us because our sales went through the roof,” Jack DuFour told Courier Journal in 2016. Taaluma Totes felt the famous “Shark Tank” boost in a big way, receiving 8,000 orders in the eight months after its episode aired. “It forced us to get stronger,” Jack DuFour explained to The Roanoke Times that same year, revealing he and Alley Heffern had to work extremely hard to keep up with increased demand. But he also confirmed they wouldn’t give up traveling to source materials, despite their increasingly busy schedules. He said they planned to use the influx of cash to hire new employees to help them visit new locations. “If we can bring dozens or hundreds of people on board who are already traveling, they can go way more places, getting way more variety of fabric than we can on our own,” he said.
The DuFours saw so much success post-“Shark Tank,” they gave their own TEDx Talk in 2017, where they shared a big secret to their ongoing success. “Alley and I have spent the last four years traveling the world in search of its funkiest traditional fabrics, and for every country we’ve been to there’s been one reliable trick that helps us find what we’re looking for,” Jack DuFour said. “Here it is… plan nothing,” he added, noting they saw the most success when they didn’t put expectations on themselves while traveling to source new materials.
Taaluma Totes is still in business, despite Jack and Alley DuFour leaving
Taaluma Totes is still selling at the time of writing and has helped an impressive number of small businesses. In around a decade, the company provided $280,000 worth of loans across 59 countries according to its website, where Taaluma Totes sells more than 50 different versions of its stylish backpack (which could easily become a spring/summer bag trend). But while the company’s important ethos remains the same, things have changed since Jack and Alley DuFour appeared on “Shark Tank.” The two are no longer bagging sales, as they left the Taaluma Totes behind 2019. According to Jack DuFour’s LinkedIn, they moved to Ecuador and he began working in regenerative agriculture that December. Alley DuFour’s LinkedIn suggests she took the same career path.
After the duo stepped aside, Garron Alexander, Jordan Wenck, and Ethan Alexander (who also own the recycled rice bag company Rice Love) took over. “I chose these brands because we make more than just quality products, each brand has a very unique story and they give back to the global communities,” Wenck told Times of San Diego in 2023. “Running a business that gives back has been an incredible experience so far, it makes it a lot more fun to work every day,” he added. In 2022, Taaluma Totes and Rice Love collaborated for Black Friday to help even more people.
Taaluma Totes is keeping Jack and Alley DuFour’s vision alive
Though Jack and Alley DuFour are no longer spearheading Taaluma Totes, their vision is still at the heart of the company. In January, it underscored its continued devotion to helping others on Instagram. “We’ve been able to support thousands of families and communities already and plan on thousands more with your support!” Taaluma Totes wrote.
The brand continues to highlights the stories of those who have benefitted from the micro-loan scheme, too. Also in January, the bag business shared Guatemalan entrepreneur Elvia Maribel’s journey with its Instagram followers, telling customers their purchases allowed Maribel to buy supplies for her textiles business. “To get ahead, but above all, to support her children, she took the initiative to start her business where she makes embroidered pieces on a backstrap loom,” the caption read. “One of Elvia’s dreams is to grow her business a bit more. With this investment, she hopes to continue offering her beautiful embroidered pieces to the women in her community.”
Co-owner Jordan Wenck has shared big plans for Taaluma Totes, teasing collaborations and a continued dedication to giving back. “I love companies that are using sustainable materials, offsetting carbon emissions, manufacturing and hiring responsibly, and using their profits to give back are so inspiring to me,” he told Times of San Diego. “We love partnering with likeminded brands. To people who are reading this, know that your purchases matter.”
