Product Update
Is Rumi Spice Still in Business? (2026 Update)
Is Rumi Spice from Shark Tank still around in 2026? The deal it made, the sharks who invested, and where to buy Rumi Spice today.
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Rumi Spice built its entire origin story around sourcing saffron directly from farmers in Afghanistan, an intentional choice meant to give those growers an alternative to poppy cultivation. Mark Cuban backed the company in Season 8, and by 2026 the brand had already marked a decade in business, an anniversary most spice startups never reach.
The Short Answer
Rumi Spice is still in business and actively selling. The company runs a live e-commerce site with a 2026 copyright notice, current promotional offers including 20 percent off first orders, and an active blog. It has picked up meaningful institutional credibility along the way, including recognition as an alumnus of the Chobani Incubator program and a B Lab "Best For The World: Community" award for its social-impact sourcing model.
It does not sell through Amazon, running primarily as a direct-to-consumer brand paired with a store locator for retail partners, which is a common structure for a specialty food company at this stage.
The Shark Tank Pitch
Rumi Spice pitched in Season 8, Episode 23, out of Illinois, in the food and drink category. The founders asked for 250,000 dollars for just 5 percent equity, an aggressive 5 million dollar valuation built on the story of importing premium, ethically sourced saffron, one of the most expensive spices in the world by weight, directly from Afghan farmers.
The founding team included U.S. military veterans who had served in Afghanistan and saw the saffron opportunity firsthand, which gave the pitch a level of authenticity and mission-driven weight that stood out even in a room full of practiced entrepreneurs.
The Deal That Got Done
Mark Cuban made the deal, taking 15 percent instead of the 5 percent originally offered, while funding the full 250,000 dollar ask. That is a significant equity jump, tripling what founders initially put on the table, but it also reflects how much value Cuban's backing and platform can add to a company trying to build both retail distribution and a values-driven brand story simultaneously.
Cuban has shown a consistent pattern of backing founder teams with unusual, credible personal stories behind the product, and a team of veterans building an ethical supply chain out of Afghanistan fit that mold.
Rumi Spice net worth in 2026
There is no independently audited net worth figure publicly available for Rumi Spice, and we did not find a sourced third-party valuation to cite, so no specific number should be presented as fact here. What is verifiable is that the company celebrated a decade of operation as of May 2024, has maintained continuous investor-grade partnerships like the Chobani Incubator, and has kept winning outside recognition like the B Lab community award well past its Shark Tank appearance.
A specialty food import company surviving ten years, through a genuinely difficult global supply chain out of a conflict-affected region, is itself a meaningful proof point, even without a specific dollar figure attached to the business today.
The Veteran Story Behind the Supply Chain
What separates Rumi Spice from a typical imported specialty food brand is that its founders had lived and served in the region they were sourcing from, which gave them relationships with Afghan farmers that an ordinary importer trying to build a supply chain from scratch would have taken years to develop. That existing trust mattered enormously for a product where quality and authenticity are everything, since saffron is one of the most commonly adulterated spices in the world and buyers have real reason to be skeptical of unfamiliar sources.
It also gave the company a genuine mission to build marketing around beyond just flavor, offering farmers a legal, high-value cash crop as an alternative to poppy cultivation, which is the kind of origin story that tends to earn press coverage and repeat customer loyalty well beyond what a typical spice brand generates.
Where Things Stand Now
Rumi Spice pitched in Season 8 out of Illinois, asked for 250,000 dollars at 5 percent, and closed with Mark Cuban at 15 percent. More than a decade later, the company is still importing and selling saffron directly from Afghan farmers, still running an active e-commerce operation, and still collecting outside recognition for its sourcing model.
If you came here wondering whether this mission-driven spice company made it, the answer is yes. It is one of the more durable food and beverage survivors from its Shark Tank cohort.
Where to buy Rumi Spice
Still selling as of May 22, 2026. Check today's price and availability.
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See the full Rumi Spice deal breakdown and term sheet →
