Ride FRSH on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who are the founders, and how to keep your car smelling fresh

What is Ride FRSH?

With aesthetics taking over nearly every aspect of our lives, why should the car air freshener be left behind? Ride FRSH is an updated, modern spin on car air fresheners. "Ride FRSH is a game-changing brand of car air fresheners, trailblazing in the previously antiquated industry. Our products have elevated the experience around how a car air freshener is supposed to make you feel.With our premium design, thicker look and feel and signature song lyrics about driving on each scent we’ve been able to garner the support of over 10,000 monthly subscribers," states the brand's website. 

Who are the founders of Ride FRSH?

Brothers Donovan and Trey Brown, and their friends Dean Parker, and Garrick Mitchell, are the founders of Ride FRSH. Donovan and Garrick graduated from west Bloomfield High School in 2007 and later joined Howard University. The four friends joined hands to create Ride FRSH back in 2018, after noticing a glaring lack of competition and “cool factor” within the air freshener industry. They hit the market with uniquely designed car air fresheners that feature iconic song lyrics about driving, upgraded product designs, and a Monthly subscription for convenience. 

In an interview with The Black Enterprise, co-founder Trey explained how they came up with the idea for the subscription model. "We knew we had to offer something different. . Our solution was to begin offering a subscription service, which had never existed for these kinds of products. This would also allow us to build a community directly as opposed to depending on distribution, which is often a more difficult game to play," he explained. Donovan, co-founder, and marketing director of the brand added, "FRSH is providing customer loyalty and brand affinity in a space where it traditionally has not existed. Our subscribers are passionate about the product, which on its surface is just an air freshener, but at its core it is an accessible and easy way to express yourself.” 

Through their monthly subscription model, the customers receive two air freshener packs at their doorstep each month. The brand claims to have over 10,000 active subscriptions. 

What is the cost and where to buy Ride FRSH from?

As part of the 'Shark Tank' promotional strategy, the brand is offering a limited-time starter bundle featuring 10 scents for $28.99. Aside from this bundle, customers can also opt for a monthly subscription that starts from $5 per two-pack, or you can create your bundle from $7 onwards. There are several flavor variants that you can pick from such as Vanilla, Pina Colada, Ocean Breeze, New Car Scent, etc. You can get these cool air fresheners from the brand's website here. 

Where is Ride FRSH now?

Since starting out their business, Ride FRSH has positioned itself as more than just a simple car air freshener brand. They are all about making  a statement and expressing yourself, The brand has over time managed to launch exclusive licensed products in partnership with NBA, and even Viacom Media, Dean Parker, Head of Sales, said, "Our licensing partnerships are a key differentiator in the wholesale space, and it’s something that also sets us apart from competitors in the subscription industry." The brand has several NBA-themed air fresheners featuring various teams and also Spongebob-themed fresheners, This unique branding strategy seems to have worked out well, as the brand claims they have sold over 300,000 units of air fresheners since securing licensing deals!

Who will steal the deal?

Mark Cuban or Kevin O'Leary may steal the deal. Although the brand's sales numbers and profit margins will ultimately be the major deciding factor for the sharks on whether to invest in the business or not. So, we will just have to wait and watch to see if the Sharks even make a deal.

'Shark Tank' Season 14 Episode 7 airs on ABC on November 18, 2022, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Boarderie, Ride FRSH, ActionGlow, and Legacy Shave.

Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.