Sandra Velasquez Wiki, Biography
The upcoming episode of Shark Tank season 14 will feature the award-winning Nopalera, a Mexican botanical bath, and body care line. Company founder Sandra Velásquez will launch a $300,000 deal for 5% of her company’s shares.
Sandra grew up in Southern California with her parent’s Mexican immigrants and the only thing she saw often was cacti. She founded the company to celebrate her culture and make the next “Latino legacy brand.”
Her website says:
“Our products are inspired by the beauty and richness of Mexico. We are inspired by the nopal, an ancient symbol of Mexican culture and one of the most sustainable, nutritious, and versatile plants in the world.”
She continues:
“You can eat it, make textiles out of it, and use it to moisturize your skin and hair. It’s strong, resilient, and beautiful, and it’s always been here. Just like us.”
The next episode of Shark Tank will air on Friday, January 20 at 8 p.m. m. ET on ABC.
Shark Tank: Sandra Velásquez started making soaps as a hobby when she was unemployed
Sandra Velásquez, the founder of Nopalera, is currently preparing to appear on Shark Tank Season 14 Episode 12. She launched the company in 2020 with no outside funding while working three jobs. The project started in Brooklyn during the pandemic when Sandra was 44 years old.
Sandra’s brand has been featured in multiple publications, including Beauty Independent, Forbes, Women’s Health, and Cosmopolitan. She was also named Latino Startup of the Year at the 2022 L’Attitude Conference and had over half a million dollars in revenue the previous year.
Sandra told Cosmopolitan:
“Here in this country, it’s like, Oh, if it’s from France, it can be expensive. If it’s from Italy, it can be expensive. Why have we been conditioned to aspire to all these Western European brands? I really wanted to position our culture as aspirational”.
She further said that she started making soaps as a hobby when she was unemployed in 2019. This led her to recognize the lack of “cultural” Latino brands in the market. She then decided that she was going to create a high-end brand that would be sold in premium retailers and disrupt “Eurocentrism.”
Shark Tank product is sold at more than 350 independent retailers, including Nordstrom, Credo, and Free People. The line consists of scrubs, soaps, bars, and products as well. The soaps are $14, while the scrubs are $32, and the bars sell for $30. The products can be purchased as bundles for $130 and assets for $71. The products are also available on Amazon for the same price.
Sandra Velásquez impresses guest shark Daniel Lubetzky
Sandra will appear in Shark Tank Season 14 Episode 12, which will feature guest shark Daniel Lubetzky. During her presentation, she tells the sharks that she is looking for a $300,000 deal for 5% of their company’s stock.
Daniel is impressed with his moisturizing bars, which eliminate the use of plastic bottles. He tells the entrepreneur that he loves what he does since young people these days sell sustainable products, but in reality consumers continue to buy more plastic bottles.
Tune in on Friday, January 20 at 8 p.m. m. ET to see what happens next on Shark Tank on ABC.