VinPerfect, Inc., leader in the oxygen regulating closure market, announced that annual sales have increased by 600% year over year; its SmartCapsTM are the solution to the wine closure debate.
NAPA, CA — December 5, 2013. Today, Tim Keller, Founder & CEO, announced that the company’s annual sales have increased by 600% over 2012, its customer base has more than doubled, and as of December 2013, the company is turning a profit.
According to Keller, “It has been a long journey. We spent 3 years and over $1.0 million in R&D, and another 2 years in commercial roll-out, testing the product with wineries. Seeing all of that work turn into a profitable business is just about the most satisfying thing an entrepreneur can experience.”
VinPerfect makes wine closures with engineered oxygen permeability allowing screw-capped wine to breathe in a post-bottling environment. This is necessary for high quality wine, but previous screwcap closures were unable to achieve this functionally and consistently.
Standard screwcaps lack the ability to regulate oxygen transmission – the primary reason they are mostly found on lighter white wine styles such as Sauvignon Blanc, but rarely found on red wines. By allowing for oxygen permeation with VinPerfect’s “SmartCap” closures, Keller intends to change the dynamic of the entire market. “We are starting to see customers who previously used screwcaps only on white wines switch to our SmartCapsTM for all wines in their portfolio – including reds. We feel this is a signal that the market is about to change in a more fundamental way.”
History has shown that in markets like Australia and New Zealand, there is a “tipping point” for adoption of twist-off closures, whereby a quality-focused change that formerly is resisted by the market, suddenly becomes embraced.
VinPerfect Co-Founder and COO, Collin Casper, states “the rapid growth of our customer base indicates that the US market is ready for this paradigm shift. We have enough overcapacity to service the market, and we are preparing for the increased production volume when the market does flip.”
Plans for future expansion include a Series-B financing in 2014. Partnerships for materials and machinery to expand their Napa-based production facility are underway.
“The wine closure debate can end now,” claims Keller. “With consistent oxygen control in a screwcap, there is no quality-based reason to use anything else. Certain wineries will stick to cork or synthetic cork for some time, marketing a ‘traditional’ looking package. But when tradition is directly at odds with product quality, my belief is that quality will prevail.”
VinPerfect is the market leader specializing in oxy-regulating closures for the wine industry, providing precise control over wine’s post-bottling oxygen exposure. By selecting VinPerfect SmartCaps™, winemakers benefit from greater quality control through superior consistency and a wider range of stylistic options. Consumers are able to enjoy wines with enhanced aromatics, avoid ‘cork-taint’ completely, and protect against more subtle wine damage from premature oxidation or reduction.
VinPerfect’s patented SmartCaps™ utilize an oxygen-regulating gasket that allows fine control over the amount of oxygen that permeates through the closure. Unlike most perishable products, wine improves in quality with limited oxygen exposure. VinPerfect is unique in its ability to provide multiple distinct levels of oxygen under 0.5 mg oxygen per year – affording winemakers consistent control over the development of wine in bottle without compromising shelf-life.
The Company aims to displace bark corks as the preferred closure option and give winemakers and consumers what they have always deserved: the perfect wine closure, appropriate for any wine style.
Founded in 2008, VinPerfect is an investor-backed startup headquartered in Napa, California. For more information, visit www.vinperfect.com.
