Ep 8. Key Lime

Key Lime is the eighth episode of the second season of The Profit, a show about entrepreneur and investor Marcus Lemonis who assists struggling businesses in turning their operations and fortunes around. In this episode, Lemonis travels to South Florida to meet with the owners of Key Lime, a family-owned pie company.

Key Lime was founded in 2002 by Mark and Lynne Walsh, who left their jobs in the corporate world to pursue their passion for baking pies. The company specializes in key lime pies, but also offers a variety of other flavors such as apple and chocolate cream. Despite having a successful local presence in Florida, Key Lime has struggled to expand their business beyond the state due to issues with their branding and packaging.

Lemonis meets with the Walsh family to discuss their current business model and assess their needs. He observes their baking process and tastes their pies, concluding that they have a high-quality product that could be successful outside of Florida. However, he also notes that their current branding and packaging does not reflect the quality of their pies and is hindering their growth potential.

Lemonis proposes a plan to rebrand and redesign Key Lime's packaging to better appeal to consumers. He also suggests expanding the product line to include savory pies and partnering with other businesses to sell their pies in new markets. The Walsh family is initially skeptical of Lemonis' ideas but ultimately agrees to his terms and gives him a 40% stake in the company in exchange for his investment and expertise.

Throughout the episode, Lemonis works closely with the Walsh family to implement the changes he suggests. He collaborates with a branding agency to redesign Key Lime's packaging and labels, which now feature bright colors and tropical designs that better capture the essence of Florida. He also sets up a meeting with a major grocery store chain to pitch Key Lime pies and secures a deal for their products to be sold in all of their locations.

The episode concludes with Lemonis and the Walsh family celebrating their success and discussing plans for the future. They have successfully rebranded and expanded their product line, making Key Lime pies available in new markets throughout the country. The Walsh family is grateful for Lemonis' guidance and investment, and Lemonis is pleased to have helped another struggling business turn their fortunes around.

Overall, Key Lime is an engaging and inspiring episode of The Profit that showcases Marcus Lemonis' business expertise and ability to successfully turn around struggling companies. The pie company's transformation highlights the importance of branding and packaging in marketing a successful product, and Lemonis' vision for the business ultimately leads to its success.