What Happened To Blendtique Wine Company After Shark Tank?
The concept for Blendtique Wine Company was inspired by creator Billy Dim's time working in the wine country of California's central coast. On his journey to becoming a sommelier, Dim became keenly aware of one major oversight in the wine industry: customer participation. While many wine lovers enjoy visiting vineyards and testing local bottles, customers purchasing a single bottle at the end of a wine tasting wasn't enough for Dim. Thus, Blendtique was born.
When Dim founded Blendtique in 2014, his vision for an interactive, custom wine-blending experience came to life. The business model allowed customers to receive four bottles of wine (each made from a single grape variety), a blending kit guide, a measuring pipette, and a flask. The goal was for each person to better understand their own unique palette by tasting each wine and mixing various amounts of their favorites until they found their ideal combination.
Another pivotal factor of the brand is that once a customer creates their ideal mixture, they can order an entire bottle of it, after which it will be shipped to them with a customized label. Since wine is a central part of many social gatherings, the customizable nature of this business venture had great potential; even so, Dim required investors to get it off the ground.
Blendtique's Shark Tank pitch was an initial success
Billy Dim began his entrepreneurial journey with First Step Beverage, which initially supported his budding alcohol business through wholesale and marketing programs. He quickly realized, however, that he needed more capital to scale it.
Dim appeared on Season 8, Episode 19 of "Shark Tank" with a pitch for his custom-blend wine company in March 2017. He asked for a $250,000 investment in exchange for 10% equity in his company. Although Barbara Corcoran and Kevin O'Leary competed in a high-spirited battle to create the best recipe using Blendtique's wine kit, the laughs and shenanigans failed to produce a deal. O'Leary, who has his own line of fine wines, believed the $26 price point was too high, claiming that anything over $14 wouldn't sell.
After some back-and-forth negotiations, Lori Greiner offered to invest $250,000 as a loan for 10% equity in the company at 8% interest. Dim eventually agreed to those terms. Unfortunately, unverified rumors eventually began circulating online that the deal supposedly fell through post-filming, though neither Greiner nor Blendtique has offered an official comment.
The brand's Shark Tank appearance brought new business partners
When none of the Sharks took Billy Dim's bait, Blendtique had to look elsewhere for its business dealings. It ultimately partnered with Celebrity Cruises as one of the cruise line's onboard experiences, wherein guests would receive their custom bottles while still on the ship.
Additionally, viewers' excitement after Blendtique's "Shark Tank" appearance only expanded the company's exposure and seemingly created many eager customers. According to the company's Facebook page, its entire website would crash whenever its segment re-aired unexpectedly. Since this was likely due to a massive influx of sales, it's safe to assume that the company's time on the show served them well.
Interestingly, Dim's initial agreement with Lori Greiner was tentatively based on Blendtique lowering its wine prices. Today, the company's various offerings come at a range of price points. While the basic four-wine blending kit costs $97.95, the wooden kit featured on "Shark Tank" costs $159.95. Those who want a refill of blending wines can get a cabernet sauvignon, a merlot, a syrah, and a grenache for only $60, which puts each single-varietal wine at around $15. Of course, once you create your custom blend, the single bottle jumps up to $34.95, so if any price changes have occurred, they're trending upward. These prices don't seem to be a barrier for customers, however, as the business has remained active since Dim's time on "Shark Tank."
The company has been quiet on social media
Custom wine blends will always be on the pricier side, but with Blendtique, customers are also paying for the interactive experience and their control over their wine's taste. For years, this marketing appeal was demonstrated on the brand's social media platforms, but in 2023, these went dark. Interestingly, several Facebook reviews that mention online trading recommend Blendtique. The company's website even has an affiliate page with a broken link, possibly pointing to a previous business model in which customers could earn money through their custom blends.
Blendtique hasn't updated its X (formerly known as Twitter) since 2016. The company's Instagram only posted twice in 2023, and customers have seemingly taken note of this absence, with one user commenting, "Post to your Twitter." Despite the brand's sparse social media presence, many of its earlier posts can still educate customers about its brand and concept.
Blendtique's last YouTube video was an at-home demonstration from April 2020 entitled "Quarantine Crew." While it's unclear if lockdown requirements impacted the company's sales, brand loyalists could be fueling sales on the still-active website and keeping its revenue high. The company could also be cutting back on its social media marketing budget during the slower months of the grape-growing cycle.
The future is still bright for Blendtique
As of this writing, Blendtique's website is sold out of its wooden blending kit, which was featured on "Shark Tank." It's unclear if this is a temporary supply issue or if the item will ever be restocked. Nearly all of the brand's wine options are still in stock, and gift cards are available for purchase ranging from $100 to $500.
As recently as 2022, Blendtique co-founder Billy Dim was hosting outdoor events for groups and leading blending kit demonstrations. Beyond the blending events on Celebrity Cruises, a Virginia-based bed and breakfast hosted a Blendtique event for guests in 2016. The company has also partnered with hotels in the past, per its LinkedIn page. While this could point to more business opportunities in the hospitality field, it's unclear if any other partnerships have officially been made.
Interestingly, the copyright at the bottom of Blendtique's website displays a date range of 2017 to 2020. This may indicate that 2020 was the last time it was updated. Even so, the site is still live and claims the company is working with various vineyards on California's central coast. It also still markets its blending kits to businesses, restaurants, and weddings.