truLOCAL

Marc Lafleur and Greg Quaile, from Milton, Ontario, asked for $100,000 for 7% of truLOCAL, a monthly meat subscription service that delivers high-end, locally raised meat and seafood direct to customers' homes using dry ice, with no long-term commitment required. Boxes retail online for $249 and feed about two people for a month, with 20 product options available; packaging costs $30 per box currently but could be halved with volume. The company launched nine months earlier, generated $290,000 in sales including $130,000 in the last three months, and shipped 1,400 boxes to date; both founders had left six-figure salaries to start the business.

Michael Wekerle went out over concerns about packaging waste and environmental impact, and Manjit Minhas went out saying he was not interested in the meat category. Joe Mimran offered $100,000 for 10%, Michele Romanow matched that offer and teamed up with Joe Mimran, Jim Treliving offered to match the original ask of $100,000 for 7%, and Arlene Dickinson offered $300,000 for a third of the company. The founders accepted the joint offer from Joe Mimran and Michele Romanow.

Marc Lafleur pitched truLOCAL, a farm-to-door frozen meat subscription box service, in Season 12, landing a deal with Michele Romanow. He later sold the company for almost $17 million and, by this Season 20 special, leads a new company called DB8, which builds custom AI solutions for small businesses.