A surface warfare officer went swimming with the sharks on ABC’s hit TV show, and it paid off.
Lt. Cmdr. Thereasa Black, a current Navy reservist, was described as “one of the most impressive entrepreneurs that has walked through those doors” during her appearance on “Shark Tank.” She previously spoke to Reserve + National Guard Magazine in 2024 about how the reserves were the only reason she felt comfortable jumping into entrepreneurship.
“As most people know, as an entrepreneur, you never know if your venture is going to fail and it is very risky,” Black said during the interview. “The Naval Reserve gave me the best backup plan imaginable. It gave me great health insurance for me and my daughter. It gave me a constant, though not large, income due to drilling, and I always had the option to come back onto active duty in the event that I needed money for my household … Most people wouldn’t think of the reserves as the best choice for an entrepreneur, but I can’t think of a better career path.”
She was commissioned into the active Navy in 2010, then transitioned to the reserve side four years later. A deployment changed her perspective — and career plans — because of a desire to be home with her daughter. She eventually found herself running multiple businesses, including Better Black Coffee (a brick-and-mortar coffee shop) and Bon AppéSweet (a small factory making date-sweetened chocolate).
Then, in 2025, Black announced she would be closing her Leonardtown, Maryland, doors because of an overseas move to Germany, but her products continued to be available online for purchase.
Now, Black is making headlines for her appearance on “Shark Tank.”
Black recently told The GW Hatchet, a student newspaper serving George Washington University, where she attended law school, that she applied for the show four times before ultimately being flown to Los Angeles last year for a taping. On Jan. 15, the episode aired with the entrepreneur pitching her artisanal chocolate that is made using 100% superfoods.
Her initial pitch was for $75,000 with a 10% stake in her company. Black’s segment included an emotional reunion video of her returning to her daughter — the inspiration for Bon AppéSweet — after a 13-month deployment. The sharks also had the opportunity to sample her “Better Than Chocolate,” “Better Than Milk Chocolate,” and “Deep Dark Chocolate” — with all receiving rave responses from the investors.
In the end, Black was offered, and accepted, two offers from sharks Rashaun Williams and Robert Herjavec.
Visit Bon AppéSweet for a limited time offering of “Shark Chocolate.”
