Big Ass Luxuries Shark Tank Update – Shark Tank Season 16
Trent and Chloe, along with their sister Kelsey, locked a deal on Shark Tank Season 16 Episode 20 for their handcrafted, long-lasting Big Ass Candles. Their luxury, eco-friendly candle-making company stood out for size, scent, and value.
The husband-and-wife duo Trent and Chloe, along with Chloe’s twin-sister Kelsey, set foot in “Shark Tank Season 16 Episode 20,” with some of the biggest candles Sharks had ever seen and their brand Big Ass Luxuries.
They handcraft large-format natural candles at an affordable luxury price compared to little candles that are 30 times smaller than the candles crafted by these passionate entrepreneurs. Would the Sharks sniff on this opportunity, or would the pitch burn out?
About Big Ass Luxuries
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Big Ass Luxuries |
| Founders | Trent Mervine, Chloe Mervine |
| Industry | Luxury candles |
| Product | Alternative to average candles |
| Investment Asked | $500,000 for 5% equity |
| Deal Status | Deal secured with Lori Greiner |
| Deal Outcome | $2,50,000 on loan & $2,50,000 for 13% equity |
| Valuation | $10 million (at the time of Shark Tank pitch) |
The creation of Big Ass Luxuries began with craft-makers Trent and Chloe in their kitchen in 2021, during the Great Texas Snowpocalypse. Moreover, the brilliance of the Big Ass Luxuries idea bestowed light and warmth.
However, the luxury candles industry was missing long-lasting, large, natural, and aromatic candles. The Big Ass Luxuries brand is bigger than manufacturing candles. It provides luxury goods that complement the unique fragrance oils mixed with all-natural, eco-friendly soy wax and coconut.
The duo began with a mission to become a household name, aiming to make all BAL products a luxury product.
Their hero product is the Baby Big Ass Candle, which weighs almost 150 ounces (nearly 10 lbs) and lights up for 300 to 500 hours. However, they also showed a bigger candle to the Sharks, which weighs 300 ounces (almost 20 lbs) and lights up for a whopping 750 to 1000 hours.
They primarily sell directly to consumers online using their Shopify website, which accounts for 95% of their revenue stream. Five percent of it comes from retail.
Big Ass Luxuries Shark Tank Pitch
Trent, Chloe, and Kelsey came on Shark Tank asking for $500,000 in return for their 5% equity. Sharks, including Kevin O’Leary, were surprised after they heard of the primary revenue-making stream.
The eco-friendly candle-making company earned the majority of its income via Shopify. However, the founders explained that consumers usually want to smell the fragrance before they purchase it. Since they are offering Sample-trio bundles, consumers can check them out before committing to Big Ass Candles.
Later, Kelsey explained the different sorts of candles and what they are made of. Lori Greiner first sniffed the opportunity when she smelled Woodland Balsam, a Christmas scent made up of eucalyptus, fir, and pine. The other scent was Sparkling Paloma, which has notes of grapefruit and lemon. Another scent was Dark Santal and Coconut. Sharks praised the scents.
Trent, the co-founder and COO, provided statistics and revenue generation for the past three years. For the first full year, they made $1.3 million. The following year, their sales and revenue increased to $2.1 million. In 2024, the company surpassed $2.4 million in sales mid-year and went on to close the year at around $4 million.
The hero product, Baby Big Ass Candle, sells for $179. It costs $50 to craft and manufacture, and the shipping cost is $15. The Big Ass Candle sells for $284, and it takes about $90 to manufacture.
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What Makes Big Ass Luxuries Unique?
There are some unique and distinctive features of Big Ass Candles:
- Made in the USA: The candles and scents are made in Dallas, Texas.
- Big Ass Candles are natural: The candles are made from natural paraben-free oils, phthalate-free fragrance, and coconut-soy wax.
- Candles “Most burn for your buck:” Depending on the burning frequency of the Big Ass Candle, it lights up to 1000 hours.
Did Big Ass Luxuries Get a Deal on Shark Tank?
Daymond John was impressed by the valuation, but he decided not to invest because he and his wife already own one of the candle brands.
Mark Cuban refuses to take a bite of this fantastic home decor brand as the category doesn’t interest him. Another Shark, Barbara Corcoran, also refuses to participate.
Apparently, Lori was very impressed with Big Ass Luxuries and was a perfect fit to partner with it. However, she was worried about the competition’s price point. The founders of Big Ass Candles made it clear that if consumers purchase 10 lbs or 20 lbs of candles from other competitors, they will be at least 50% more expensive. Lori Greiner offered a loan of $250,000 and the other half as equity of 15%.
Kevin O’Leary perked up after he heard about their D2C model, and he plans to use the brand in his gifting business. He can also help the team of Big Ass Luxuries with the CAC (Customer Acquisition Rate). Thus, Mr. Wonderful offered $500,000 for 20% equity.
The founders offered a counter to Lori, requiring her to reduce the equity to 10%. Finally, she agreed to a reduction to 13%. Hence, the deal was locked at $500K on which 250K is on 13% equity, and the rest 250K as a loan at whatever the going interest rate.
Big Ass Luxuries Shark Tank Update
Lori’s deal went through, and by the end of 2024, the company had grown to $5 million in annual sales (as projected earlier). Most of that came from direct-to-consumer orders through their website.
The brand also caught media attention, landing features in CanvasRebel Magazine, Dallas Innovates, and The Dallas Morning News.
Big Ass Luxuries teamed up with Tart by Taylor for a Mother’s Day campaign in May 2025. Moreover, they also rolled out new Big Ass Candles. These included the Big Ass Candle Holder and the Long Ass Lighter.
There was also an innovation in their customer plans. They added a subscribe and save program that gives discounts and perks for repeat purchases.
Where Can You Buy It?
You can purchase it on their official website. Moreover, you can check their Instagram page to learn more about their products. There are different scents, including Marshmallow Cashmere, Warm Pumpkin Spice, and the Luxe collection: Amber Rouge.
Check out other Shark Tank Season 16 Episodes.
Quick Summary
- Big Ass Luxuries, founded by Trent Mervine and Chloe Mervine, manufactures large-format, eco-friendly candles that can light up to 1000 hours.
- They pitched their business to the Sharks, asking for $500,000 for 5% equity in their company. Daymond, Mark Cuban, and Barbara Corcoran refused to participate. However, Lori Greiner locked the deal at $250,000 debt and half of it on equity of 13%.
- Their candles are made in the USA using fragrance oils and natural soy-coconut wax. They primarily sell through two channels: D2C via Shopify and retail outlets.
