The pitch
What walked into the Den
Glen and Alex Smyth run AppleFlats, a crab-apple orchard turning its fruit into sodas and other products near Shakespeare, Ontario.
They pitched in Season 16, episode 6, which aired in 2021, asking for $200,000 for 10%. That request valued the orchard business at $2,000,000.
After the show
What happened next
AppleFlats drew an offer and turned it down, leaving the Den without an investment.
The operation is clearly active in 2026, referencing current products and listing a phone contact, but it does not sell through an online cart. The site notes there is no on-site shop and asks buyers to reach out first, so sales run through retail partners and farm visits.
Our read
The Hub verdict
Two hundred thousand dollars for 10 percent frames the orchard business at $2 million, a fair ask for a producer with real product in the niche category of crab-apple sodas. Arlene Dickinson offered the money but wanted 30 percent. The founders would not go that far, countering at a $1.5 million valuation with a royalty on every litre of juice until she was repaid, and she backed out rather than meet them. They kept the orchard whole. It still trades through retail partners and farm visits rather than an online cart, which is why there is no direct buy link here.
Founders refused 30 percent and the offer was pulled
