Mama O’s Premium Kimchi Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Kheedim Oh, the founder of Mama O’s Premium Kimchi, had a big problem while living in New York City. He couldn’t find any premium kimchi in the city markets. To get good-quality kimchi, he had to take a bus all the way to Washington, D.C., to his parents’ house. From there, he had to bring it back in a cooler full of his mom’s homemade kimchi. This wasn’t practical or sustainable in the long run. 

While he was hauling it back and forth, he later found a butcher, who liked the kimchi and ordered it. Kheedim had his light bulb moment and decided to turn the homemade kimchi into a proper-run business. To start fulfilling the order, he had his mother teach him so he wouldn’t have to haul from his parent’s house. 

They pitched their product on Shark Tank, highlighting its authentic Korean family recipe. They introduced the first complete homemade kimchi kit and other kimchi-related products for the Sharks to taste.

Did the authentic homemade kimchi business impress the Sharks enough to strike a deal? Find out in our Mama O’s Premium Kimchi Shark Tank Update!

Mama O’s Premium Kimchi Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025

Kheedim Oh asked for a $250k investment in exchange for 10% equity in his company. This meant he valued his company at $2.5 million. He did not make a deal with any of the Sharks. After the show aired, Mama O’s Premium Kimchi saw a big increase in website traffic, sales, and social media exposure. They also saw a good boost in retail partnerships, product expansion, and online sales. With an estimated 10% yearly growth rate (typical business growth), the current net worth of Mama O’s Premium Kimchi in 2025 is about $5.37 million.

Appearing on the show has helped the company grow into more retail outlets.  They’ve expanded their grocery store partnerships as well. The company has added Albertsons, Safeway, and stores in Mexico. They’ve also introduced new products like its Kimchi paste. Customers can also make their own kimchi at home using the brand’s signature seasonings.

Kevin O’Leary was the first Shark to reject the business. According to him, the hardest thing would be to get people to try the product. Mark Cuban didn’t invest because he didn’t feel like the owner would be ready to accept another employee. Because they wouldn’t be comfortable in giving up control.

Kendra Scott didn’t invest because she didn’t like kimchi in general. She couldn’t support a product she didn’t believe in herself. Lori didn’t think it was an investable opportunity for her, and she backed out of investing. Keep reading our Mama O’s Premium Kimchi update to see what happens next!

Shark(s) Name	Offer and Demand	Counteroffer	Accepted?
Kevin O’Leary	Out	N/A	N/A
Kendra Scott	Out	N/A	N/A
Mark Cuban	Out	N/A	N/A
Daymond John	Out	N/A	N/A
Lori Greiner	Out	N/A	N/A

Mama O’s Premium Kimchi Shark Tank pitch

Kheedim Oh started the business in July 2008. He started the company with just $50 to his name and a skateboard. He would haul the jars to retailers on his board. Prior to this, he never had a 9 to 5 job and always worked various gigs. Mama O taught him how to make traditional kimchi. Little did he know it would grow to become a successful brand. 

Kheedim Oh appeared on Shark Tank with his mother asking for $250,000 for a 10% equity in their business. He was living in New York, while his family was living in Washington. He didn’t like going there, just so he could get kimchi from his mother. So, he had her teach him how to make it. Even though he didn’t have any plans to sell kimchi to the public, he saw the growing demand in the market. 

They presented the Sharks with multiple kimchi products, each with its own authentic Korean flavors. They also highlighted the smart packaging for their products. It kept the food fresh and also showcased their homemade kimchi kit. Mama O taught Daymond John how to make it in 10 minutes. Mama O’s maternal energy and kimchi-making skills charmed the Sharks during the pitch.

Daymond asked about the production cost and how much they sell it for. Kheedim told them that it costs $2.65 to make a bag of kimchi, and it retails for $8.99 and up. For the kimchi kit, it costs them $8.65, and they wholesale it for $20. Mark Cuban wanted to know what the sales were for this product. Kheedim told Mark that last year, their sales were $850,000, and they’ll make a 25% profit off of it.

Kevin wanted to know what the sales would be later that year. The founder told him that they’ll be touching $1 million and above according to the projections.

Kendra asked what their source of revenue was. Was it Whole Foods, retail, or some other avenue? Kheedim told her that they do have a website, but they’re not utilizing online deliveries yet. The majority of it was coming from Whole Foods and retail. Either by the big players or their own store.

Mark questioned why the sales weren’t higher, and what was holding the founders back from becoming a $2 million, $3 million, or a $5 million company. He replied that he first wanted to grow the company more, and then hire other people to help out.

Kevin O’Leary started off by not investing in the company. According to him, you would first have to educate people on what kimchi is. The second hurdle would be to open up their minds to trying a different cuisine. That was a market that Kevin didn’t want to invest in. For those reasons, he didn’t put his money into the business.

Mark Cuban didn’t invest because he felt that the founders were too controlling of the company. If an investor decided to put money in the business and tried to tweak it, they wouldn’t be open to that idea. By not utilizing the eCommerce trend, and not hiring anybody due to the fear of giving up control, were the factors for his decision.

Lori, Kendra, and Daymond had similar reasons for not investing in the company. All three of them didn’t like kimchi in general. And they didn’t think it was an investable opportunity. Neither of them wanted to take the risk. Plus, Kendra only invested in products she herself believed in and was passionate about. This wasn’t one of those products.

What Went Wrong with Mama O’s Premium Kimchi on Shark Tank?

Most of the Sharks, apart from Daymond John, didn’t have any experience with Kimchi. They weren’t fans, nor did they have a strong passion to go behind the product and invest in it. Mark Cuban was concerned that the company had been running for a long time without any external help.  It still relied heavily on the founders without bringing in employees to scale.

This showed that the owner was hesitant to bring a change in the company, nor did he like the control to be taken away from him. Kevin O’Leary had concerns regarding educating Americans on the product, and having them try a different cuisine they’re not comfortable with. All of these factors played a crucial role in Mama O’s Premium Kimchi not getting a deal on Shark Tank.

Product Availability

Since appearing on Shark Tank, they’ve now introduced online purchases from their official website. Apart from that, you can buy it on Amazon, Walmart, Euro USA, Whole Foods Market, and more. They’ve introduced new products as well, apart from their current ones that appeared on the show. 

They are:

• Kimchi Paste
• Kimchili
• Kimchi Kit
• Custom Kimchi Kit
• Dehydrated Kimchi

Conclusion

Mama O’s Premium Kimchi shows us that a business idea can come from anywhere. It’s up to us how we utilize it. Mama O’s Premium Kimchi set out to solve the problem of limited access to quality kimchi in New York City. The brand has continued to expand its presence in retail and now in online stores.

They’re consistently adding new products and growing their retail partnerships. They’ve demonstrated resilience and adaptability in the ever-changing market without giving up. They’re now reaching more homes through traditional retail and online channels.