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EnergyDragons' Den reject wins major wine award
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A wine sold in its own cup that was unceremoniously booted out by the billionaire entrepreneurs from Dragons' Den has scooped a major award at the wine 'Oscars'.
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James Nash, a packaging expert, came up with the 'cup-a-wine' concept - wine sold in a plastic glass with a tear-off lid. He asked the dragons on the TV show for budding entrepreneurs to support his idea with a £250,000 injection in return for a quarter stake in his business in 2009. But he was given a tough time over his financial projections, and his concept was branded "tacky".
Scottish serial entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne said at the time: "This doesn't work as a selling item. People do not want to buy wine in plastic glasses like that. For that reason, I'm out."
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But Nash's 'cup-a-wine' idea was snapped up by Marks & Spencer which is selling it as Le Froglet Rosé. M&S has sold nearly a quarter of a million since the launch in June 2010, and the wine has just won the Great Value Champion Rosé as The International Wine Challenge.
The wine in a cup has been so popular with commuters and picnickers that M&S has extended the range, which comes in three flavours, to include a four-pack.
The lesson is: don't give up if someone rubbishes your idea, as long as you are convinced that you have an innovative idea and have drawn up a sound business plan.
The most successful Dragons' Den rejects
Other ideas that were dismissed by the dragons but have turned out to be money-spinners include:
The Trunki suitcase for children has sold more than one million units in 62 countries and won over 50 design awards. The plastic wheelie suitcase that is also a ride-on toy for kids when they get tired or bored was ridiculed on the TV show six years ago. Telecommunications tycoon Peter Jones said: "I meet people like you all the time - you think you have something. I tell you, you don't."
When Bannatyne appeared on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? in 2008 and was asked by Chris Tarrant "Is there a sort of classic of one you've missed?" he admitted: "There is one, a little suitcase on wheels... every time I go to an airport I see one or two of these of these... it's the only one we missed out on I think."
John Richardson's anti-ageing face cream Natox - branded as a natural alternative to Botox - was ripped to shreds last year but is now on the shelves at Boots and Selfridges. The £90-a-bottle cream is sold in 15 countries and has made millions of pounds in turnover.
Dragon Theo Paphitis told Guy Jeremiah he'd rather stick pins in his eyes than invest in his concept. Bannatyne even threw one of Jeremiah's collapsible water bottles across the room. But the Aquatina bottle received a more favourable reception at Marks & Spencer and Blacks Leisure, and is sold in 15 other countries.
Natalie Ellis' nonspill dog bowl was also rejected by the dragons, who told her: "America is the graveyard for British business." But the travel bowl that keeps your dog hydrated at the back of your car has since been described as "doggone brilliant" by the US National Enquirer and the entrepreneur has made millions in sales in America. Orders started flooding in minutes after Ellis' appearance on Dragons' Den in 2008. A year later she even received a special order for the Road Refresher from US President Barack Obama for his dog Bo.
Frank Hannigan wanted the dragons to invest in Yougetitback.com, an online business which protects, finds and replaces mobile devices such as laptops and smartphones. He was told by one of the dragons that "my tax returns would be a more exciting read than your business plan". Undeterred, he found an investor a few months later and his business is now flourishing.
Laura Chicurel pitched her idea for a luxury range of eco-friendly leather products made from waste fish skins in 2006. Ignoring the dragons' judgment that salmon was not exotic enough to become a luxury leather product, she started making leather wallets, portfolios and other accessories. Her company Chicurela also designed a salmon skin leather interior for Toyota's IQ concept car in 2007. She notched up a turnover of £50,000 during her first year of trading and won a Cartier Women's Initiative Award for entrepreneurship.
"It didn't knock my confidence, instead it made me determined to prove them wrong," she said about her appearance on the Dragons' Den show.
10 of the weirdest celebrity products
- 1. Bill Wyman's metal detector<p> When it comes to bizarre celebrity products, they don't come much weirder than the Bill Wyman Signature Metal Detector, designed and marketed by the former Rolling Stones bass guitarist.</p> <p> Apparently, Wyman, who is now in his mid-70s, loves archaeology and has used his own metal detector to find relics in the English countryside dating back to the Roman Empire.</p>
- 2. Barack Obama Chia<p> Fans of US president Barack Obama can show their appreciation for the politician by buying a Barack Obama Chia - shaped like the president's head - and growing grass out of the top of it.</p> <p> And for those who prefer a more historical theme to their garden ornaments, Chias shaped like the heads of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are also available.</p>
- 3. Sylvester Stallone's pudding<p> Action star Sylvester Stallone put out a protein-infused pudding designed to appeal to fans keen to build muscles like the big man's.</p> <p> Unfortunately for them, however, the pudding has now been taken off the market.</p>
- 4. Paris Hilton's craft supplies<p> Heiress Paris Hilton endorses numerous products, ranging from outfits for your dog to hair extensions.</p> <p> But the most random Paris Hilton product on the market has to be her line of craft supplies, the Creativity Collection, which features items such as stickers and transfers.</p>
- 5. Snoop Dogg's "smokeable" lyric book<p> Rapper Snoop Dogg's latest business venture is a "smokeable" lyric book.</p> <p> "Rolling Words: A Smokable Songbook" contains the words to some of Snoop's biggest hits, including "Ain't Nothing But A G'Thang" and "Gin and Juice" - all on cigarette rolling papers.</p>
- 6. David Lynch's coffee<p style="text-align: left;"> Hollywood film director David Lynch loves coffee so, of course, he decided to make his own.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"> Embarrassingly, the tagline on the David Lynch Signature Cup is "It's all in the beans ... and I'm just full of beans."</p>
- 7. George Foreman's Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine<p> Former boxer George Foreman's grill is undoubtedly the most successful, random celebrity product of recent years.</p> <p> The "machine", which claims to reduce the fat content of your meal by 42%, has earned Foreman more than $200 million over the last decade or so.</p>
- 8. Heidi Klum's sweets<p> Supermodel Heidi Klum has her own line of low-fat sweets, which includes Heidi's Yogurt Dessert Cremes and Heidi's Yogurt Fruit Cremes.</p> <p> Apparently, the design of the sweets is influenced by icons that Klum uses in her text messages to friends. Strange.</p>
- 9. Danny DeVito's Limoncello<p> Actor Danny DeVito is such a big fan of Italian liquer Limoncello, he decided to launch one of his own.</p> <p> Called Danny DeVito's Premium Limoncello, the diminutive star claims that it's "like pouring yourself a glass of liquid sunshine straight from Italy's Sorrentine Peninsula".</p>
- 10. Steven Seagal's energy drink<p> Steven Seagal made his name leaping around in action films that allowed him to show off his martial arts prowess. But he is also behind an energy drink called Lightning Bolt.</p> <p> Advertised as being "packed with vitamins and exotic botanicals", it sounds like just the tipple if you are planning to take on 10 armed men with your bare hands.</p>
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