Wynnewood’s Peter and Stuart Shapiro are pioneers of a sort. In just under 60 seconds, their state-of-the-art Bleni Blends kiosks dispense all-natural, shelf-stable fruit smoothies in seven flavors, plus two flavored iced coffees—straw included. Conceived in 2019, Bleni Blends took off when the Bala Cynwyd natives made a 2023 appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank, generating 70,000 social media inquiries. Peter has worked in undergraduate admissions, and Stuart is an attorney. These days, they’re 100% behind consolidating partnerships with major food companies and expanding Bleni Blends in the U.S., Canada and overseas.
MLT: Would you recap your Shark Tank experience?
Stuart: The show definitely opened new doors and relationships, but we never closed on a deal. For those who watch, you often don’t know the reality—the majority of the deals never close. It’s a handshake on TV. From when we made the deal on the show until the finer negotiations, our business almost doubled in size. We still have great relationships with the Sharks, and we left on great terms. But we found we could be self-sufficient.
MLT: Though you have expansion in mind, you’ve kept the company lean and mean. There are just 100 machines in 20 states, Canada and the U.K.
Stuart: We could sell thousands of machines, but it’s not the way we want to grow the company. You’ll still see us out on weekends installing and filling machines.
MLT: A Bleni Blends pilot with Walmart was in the works. What happened?
Peter: Sales weren’t as strong as we would’ve liked, so the machine was pulled. Our price point ($7 on average per smoothie) was higher than what a Walmart customer would pay.
Stuart: Our core remains a presence in large hospitals, on college campuses, at tourist destinations and in airports and recreation facilities.
MLT: Would you say that either of you convey the picture of fitness?
Peter: We’re not gym rats—that’s for sure. But this is what the future holds, and we’re a few steps ahead of the pack.
Visit bleniblends.com.
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