What Happened To Bottle Breacher After Shark Tank?
Over the years, "Shark Tank" has brought many entrepreneurs' dreams to life, particularly those involving cool kitchen gadgets. Some of the best kitchen tools we've seen on "Shark Tank" include Scrub Daddy sponges, eco-friendly Grease Bags, and the Bottle Breacher.
Bottle Breachers are bottle openers made from dummy .50 caliber bullets. The product first appeared in Season 6 of "Shark Tank," and was pitched by former Navy Seal Eli Crane. Like many other products on the show, Bottle Breacher has a humble origin story. After his brother gifted him a bottle opener made from a bullet in 2012, Crane was inspired to start his own business, selling his handmade bottle openers on Etsy. Per his Etsy shop description, the Bottle Breacher is "made from decommissioned once-fired ammunition rounds, making them completely safe." The bottle openers are hand-polished and powder-coated, and can be personally engraved to order.
Given the heartwarming story behind the bottle openers, it should come as little surprise that Crane and his fledgling company fared well in the tank, ultimately striking a deal with two investors.
Bottle Breacher's Shark Deal didn't solve all its problems
When Eli Crane appeared on "Shark Tank" with his wife Jen in 2014, he couldn't have imagined what was to come. Sharks Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary agreed to a deal of $150k for 20% equity stake in the company. However, following the episode airing on TV, customers flooded the Bottle Breacher website, to the point that the whole site crashed.
Not only was the Bottle Breacher website stunned by the sudden popularity of its products, but so was the entire production staff. Prior to being on "Shark Tank," workers made about 100 bottle openers a day, only to have to ramp up production 15 times over after the business was launched into the public eye. Worse, the backlog of orders had many customers growing impatient — a situation that could have proved fatal for Bottle Breacher.
Fortunately, although some "Shark Tank" inventions have flopped following the exposure, Bottle Breacher was able to pull through. As such, we can still count this tool among the best alcohol products pitched on "Shark Tank."
Where is Bottle Breacher today?
Without a doubt, Bottle Breacher has come a very long way since its appearance on the show in 2014. Before "Shark Tank," Eli Crane and his wife Jen were making only about $500 a month in sales. As of 2018, however, Bottle Breacher was not only able to expedite its process and expand its product line, but also reach $17 million in total sales. Today, the company maintains a 25% veteran hire rate, and frequently works with local charities to support past and present servicepeople, as well as their families.
Bottle Breacher offers dozens of different styles of bottle openers, starting at approximately $25 apiece. The company also sells other merchandise, including apparel, coasters, keychains, and heavy-duty coolers, all of which can be customized. Talk about elevating your next sip of beer!
Though it no longer has the same owners — Mike and Amber Wall bought the company in April 2022, and Crane now serves for Arizona as a Republican member of the House of Representatives — it appears that the company's values remain the same, and its products stay true to the very first Bottle Breacher Crane received more than a decade ago.