Guzzle Buddy

Guzzle Buddy is a glass that screws directly onto an open wine bottle, turning the whole bottle into your glass so you skip pouring, refilling, and re-corking. The idea came from a joke on the sitcom Cougar Town, where a character complains about wine wrist. Iowa entrepreneurs Jennifer Brick-Sullivan and her brother-in-law Randy Rothfus took the gag seriously, patented a screw-in version, and built a small novelty drinkware brand around it.

The pair walked into Season 9 asking for $400,000 in exchange for 10 percent of the company. They poured wine straight through the bottle-mounted glass to demonstrate, and the gimmick landed well in the room. Daymond John liked the simplicity and the margins, and after some back and forth he offered the full $400,000 but for 25 percent. The founders accepted on air, trading a bigger stake for his retail connections.

What made the segment stick was how clearly the product read on camera. You instantly understood what it did and who would buy it, which is rare for a novelty item. The low price point, the obvious gift appeal, and the playful demo gave Guzzle Buddy the kind of memorable, shareable moment that drives impulse sales long after an episode airs.

Like many televised handshakes, the deal with Daymond John was never finalized after filming. That did not slow the brand down. Guzzle Buddy had already sold out its early inventory in days, and the Shark Tank exposure pushed orders higher and brought the product into more gift and houseware channels. The founders kept full ownership and leaned into the novelty positioning that made it sell.

As of 2026 Guzzle Buddy is still operating and selling. Reporting around the brand has put annual sales in the low millions, and the lineup has grown beyond the original wine version to include sturdier copolyester models, beer-bottle sizes, and gift sets. Knockoffs remain a constant headache, which is part of why the company keeps adding variants and customized options to stay ahead.