Developing a product out of frustration leads to success

When in Nebraska last week, I went to a local wine store that sold little greeting cards that fit around the wine bottle neck for when you give the gift of wine. When I saw them I immediately thought, “Why didn’t I think of that business idea???” Duh. What a fantastic simple idea this is.

According to their website, this company has been around since 1981. And I have never seen these cards before last week! Where have I been? The company is called Bottleneck Wine Cards. It’s a family run business based out of Alexandria, Virginia. The founders came about the idea out of the inconvenience of buying a bottle of wine in one store and the greeting card in another, only to find a card that didn’t have anything to do with wine. The cards they designed have wine related verses and fit around the wine bottle so that it doesn’t become separated from the gift. Additionally, the cards are sold in wineries and other retail stores that sell wine.
Bottlenecks offers 24 different cards and are available at 250 establishments throughout the country.