Miami Sisters Take Their Venezuelan Roots to Shark Tank This Week

When Miami sisters and cofounders Mafe and Coco Cabezas first moved to Miami from Caracas, Venezuela, in 2015, they were in search of a better way of life. Escaping the political turmoil of their home country, the girls enrolled in university classes and began making a life for themselves.

When asked if they ever saw themselves becoming entrepreneurs, they admit it was a shared dream. But they never imagined they'd become competitors on the American business reality television show Shark Tank for their line of frozen, ready-to-toast arepas.

This week, the siblings appear on Shark Tank, where viewers can watch as they try to strike a deal for their South American-inspired frozen food brand, Toast-It. The episode airs on ABC at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 6, and will be available for streaming on Hulu.

Based on their mother's recipes, the "guilt-free" arepas are made using simple, organic ingredients sourced from Latin America. Three years after the company's launch, Toast-It products are available for sale at more than 800 retail stores across the southeast, including Publix, Whole Foods, and Walmart.

According to Coco, Toast-It is the result of a chaotic American lifestyle.

"Our schedules were so hectic, and we didn't have the time to prepare the food we grew up eating," Coco tells New Times. "We especially missed arepas, something we'd eat daily at home, but here we were leaning into more convenient options from frozen waffles to tortillas."
While looking for locally made arepas — fresh or frozen — the sisters discovered a gap in the market. No one was making authentic arepas. As they began researching further, they noticed something else: The South American products that offered convenience weren't focused on quality ingredients.

"Looking at Hispanic foods in particular, most options were full of preservatives and added ingredients like sugar," says Coco.

So, the sisters did what any homesick transplants with entrepreneurship in their blood would do. They called their mom, asked for her recipe, and got to work. After plenty of trial and error, they came up with a simple method for making arepas at home with an added convenient spin — they could be prepared and consumed in less than ten minutes.

Coco and Mafe launched Toast-It in 2020 with two types of arepas — a basic masa made with a cornmeal base, Himalayan sea salt, and olive oil — and a flaxseed-chia version. Both are made to cook up crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

The brand has since expanded with a yucca and cheese arepa and a line of bite-sized buñelos, a Colombian cheese bread sweetened with monk fruit. A new plantain buñelo is set to launch in 2024.

With a Shark Tank deal in hand, the sisters say they could take their brand outside Florida and expand their line of products to include a larger assortment of items.

"It's such an incredible opportunity for any entrepreneur," says Coco. "Pitching was honestly terrifying, but when it came time to do it, I think we were focused and prepared. Now you'll have to tune in to see how it turns out."