The Dude Wipes brand made an appearance on the fourth episode of the seventh season of Shark Tank. The concept was to create a line of wet wipes targeted specifically at males. The idea for the tank came from a group of closest friends from the Chicago region who came up with it. The concept was conceived while the buddies were in college and recognized that there was no line of sanitary wipes that was specifically marketed to males and designed to meet their unique needs. Dude Wipes was one of those wonderful pitches that had the sharks chewing at the bit to give a deal to the company behind it. So, how did things turn out for Dude Wipes? Is the company still in operation today?
Dude Wipes History
Dude Wipes was founded in 2010 by childhood friends Sean Riley, Brian Wilkin, Ryan Meegan, and Jeff Klimkowski, who worked out of their Chicago, Illinois residence to develop the product. A flushable personal wipe designed exclusively for men and marketed as an alternative to standard baby wipes, the product was introduced in 2010. Consumers first had access to the product in 2012, when it was made available in retail shops and online. The product is now available in Kroger, Target, Meijer, Ralphs, and Bass Pro Shops locations across the country. Due to their appearance on ABC’s reality television show Shark Tank in 2015, the creators of Dude Products were able to receive a $300,000 investment from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who acquired a 25 percent ownership in the business. As part of Walmart’s Made in the USA program, which aims to source $250 billion in US-made products by 2023, Dude Products was picked by the retailer for nationwide distribution in 2018.
What Are Dude Wipes?
Originally, the idea behind Dude Wipes was to offer guys a larger, sanitary wipe that they could use for all of their “dude parts.” However, the concept has now evolved. The wipes were infused with aloe and vitamin E to ensure that they were soft enough to be used on even the most sensitive portions of the body. In addition, they were biodegradable, which meant you wouldn’t have to be concerned about flushing them down the toilet. In addition, the wipes were created to be more durable than normal baby wipes, according to the manufacturer.
Dude Wipes are a disposable wipe product created by Dude Products, a personal care firm based in Chicago that manufactures a variety of other products. Dude Wipes was released in 2012 and was awarded the 2013 Visionary Award at the Vision 2013 Consumer Products Conference in San Jose, California. Despite the fact that Dude Wipes was founded by Ryan Meegan, Sean Riley, Brain Wilkins, and Jeff Klimkowski, only Ryan, Sean, and Jeff presented the company to the Sharks on Shark Tank in 2012. Having grown up in the greater Chicago area, the four buddies went on to get degrees in a variety of fields, including accounting, finance, industrial technology, and marketing, among others.
Dude Wipes Net Worth
Ironically, Mark Cuban was the first shark to pull out of the agreement, alleging a miscalculation of the amount of marketing money that would be required. Kevin O’Leary, not unexpectedly, is interested in the company’s sales to date. The trio informs them that they have generated $300,000 in sales to date and that they have a distribution agreement with Kroger markets in the United States. Both Robert and Kevin are intrigued by this, but Lori and Barbara are concerned about the “flimsiness” of the product and decide to back out. While Robert and Kevin are negotiating deal offers with each other, Mark jumps back into the tank with a $300,000 for 25 percent equity offering, which the Dude Wipe guys are happy to accept.
The Dude Wipes company grossed $3.2 million in its first year after signing a deal with Mark Cuban, according to information shared in a Shark Tank update from season 8. Not only that, but their items are now available for purchase in places such as Target and Walgreens. It is estimated that their entire revenue in 2020 will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million. It is believed that the COVID outbreak and subsequent shortage of bath tissue and other sanitary wipe goods are to blame for the significant increase in sales. In 2020, the Dude Wipes team took advantage of dropping digital advertisement costs, which was a result of so many advertisers avoiding pay-per-click ads during the pandemic. As a result, the Dude Wipes brand continued to thrive. This was a company worth about $1.2 million. But this value has grown to tens of millions in company value.
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After Shark Tank: Where Are Dude Wipes Now
A group of people who make Dude Products went on ABC’S Shark Tank in 2015, where they got money from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in exchange for a 25% stake in the company. If you shop at Walmart, you can buy Dude Products all over the country this year. Walmart is part of a Made in the USA program that wants to buy $250 billion in US-made goods by 2023. Before the UFC, Dude Wipes became popular on Twitter because they sponsored a fighter and had their name on his trunks at UFC 174. It was sponsored by Dude Products when Justine Kish, who fights in the UFC, lost control of her bowels in the ring when she was being choked by someone else. When Rob Dyrdek was hosting his show, Dude Wipes was on one of the episodes in 2015.
Placards for Dude Wipes were put up many times during Fox’s coverage of the 2016 World Series at Wrigley Field 2016. As a result of an interview with Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley, Dude Products sent him some Dude Wipes. Bradley posted the video on social media and it quickly went viral, which made Dude Products very happy!
Dude Wipes started sponsoring Matt DiBenedetto and the 32 Go Fas Racing team in NASCAR in July at Pocono Raceway. This is the first time they have done this.
Isaiah Crowell, a running back for the New York Jets, celebrated a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns by pretending to wipe his behind with the football. In October 2018, Dude Wipes signed a deal with Crowell.
According to the Dude Products website, DUDE can now be found in more than 12,000 stores across the country, including Kroger, Meijer, Jewel, Target, Safeway, Albertsons, and Walmart. As of June 2018, DUDE Wipes are also available at 4,400 Walmart stores across the United States. This comes after a rollout began in June 2018. They’re taking over the toilet paper aisles at some of your favorite stores, just in case you didn’t notice. As part of their Amazon Dash button launch, Amazon chose DUDE as one of 150 businesses to be part of the event. Shark Tank has made the DUDE Shower, DUDE Face Wipes, and DUDE Powder more popular.