If you aren’t familiar with Pepper Pong, you definitely should be… especially if you’re a pickleballer.

Described as “ping pong’s beefed-up, tricked-out, dialed-in cousin (with pickleball DNA)” on the company’s official website, Pepper Pong is steadily gaining a cult following after recently being showcased on ABC’s business reality television series Shark Tank.

Pepper Pong founder Tom Filippini’s creative pitch caught the attention of Raising Cane’s co-founder and co-CEO Todd Graves, who ultimately invested $150,000 in Pepper Pong in exchange for a 19% stake in the company.

“I could see these at every Raising Cane’s as a customer entertainment vehicle,” said Filippini, shortly before the deal was done.

“I love ping pong. I actually did a collaboration restaurant with my friend Post Malone. I’m also invested in a pickleball team. That’s been a great investment and continues to grow and continues to do better,” replied Graves. “I love the portability [of Pepper Pong]. I love you. I’m going to make you an offer, right?”

And the rest is history.

It’s safe to say that Pepper Pong sales have skyrocketed since the episode aired on Nov. 22, and with good reason because the game absolutely has mass appeal.

“It’s actually been referred to as table-top pickleball,” mentioned Filippini. “We didn’t set out to create the ping pong of pickleball or anything like that, but that’s just kind of what it's being called by people.”

Give Pepper Pong a try and the close connections with America’s fastest-growing sport are evident from the start.

Pros like Parris Todd, Hunter Johnson, Zane Navratil, and Simone Jardim have all played the game.

“Pickleball was designed to decelerate and democratize tennis, making it more accessible (but no less strategic) for players of all different abilities,” explains Pepper Pong’s official website. “Pepper Pong represents a new spin on ping pong in much the same way, except we doubled down on versatility, portability, durability and fun.”

Case in point, the fence-like net and three vastly different air-foam balls (or “Peppers”) that are specifically designed for various playing styles. 

This is where things get interesting.

“For aggressive death battles against your worst enemies, we recommend red (ghost). For casual games against grandma, go with green (jalapeno). For everything in between, there’s yellow (habanero),” added Pepper Pong’s official website. ”Best of all, unlike ping pong balls, our Peppers are DEAD SILENT and BASICALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE.”

It’s a genuine blast for family and friends alike, regardless of skill level.

And it fosters a sense of community along the way… much like pickleball does.

“At the heart of what we’re doing is connecting people through the joy of competition. I think that’s why pickleball has grown so much. People love the sport, of course, but I think the reason it’s grown so wildly is that it’s fun to get together with people, whether you’re competing intensely or just hitting the ball around. You’re putting the phone down, standing on your feet, and having a good time,” shared Filippini. “What Pepper Pong does is kind of extends the venues and the times where you can do that with others. When it’s not realistic to be on the court, you can take it anywhere. And then the double whammy benefit of Pepper Pong for pickleball players is that it keeps your skills sharp and helps you improve.”

Filippini’s creation has always been a very personal labor of love.

He hopes to continue spreading the joy of Pepper Pong across the globe and banishing isolation and loneliness in the process.

“This has never been about the money. This has always been about creating a product that I knew should exist in this world. As I observed this epidemic of isolation just growing, and as I was afflicted by it, frankly, as I was dealing with alcoholism and mental health challenges related to that over the years, it’s not a silver bullet by any means for those challenges, but we should do everything we can collectively as a society to connect people, and pickleball is doing a great job of doing just that,” he concluded. “We’ve got a chance at stemming this epidemic and making people more mentally healthy. I’m a believer in sports, I’m a believer in connecting people through sports, through the joy of competition, so this will be a success when it’s everywhere because I’ll feel like we’ve done our part to kind of help in that regard.”

Click here to learn more about Pepper Pong.