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One Year From Kickstarter to International Distribution: EDC Entrepreneur Member Repour Wine Saver™ Recognized as a Game Changer in Wine Preservation

Repour Is the First Wine Preservation Method to Use Oxygen-Absorbing Technology in a Simple and Smart Stopper Design, Effectively Preserving Wine for Months

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – NOVEMBER 8, 2017– Tom Lutz, inventor of Repour, is enjoying the quick and enthusiastic adoption of his product by wine experts and consumers around the world. Last year at this time, Lutz launched a successful Kickstarter Campaign for his novel wine preservation stopper.

In June of 2017, Lutz began selling his revolutionary wine preservation stoppers, and demand came quickly from around the world. Repour was quickly named an “Amazon’s Choice” product and picked up some early endorsement by regional, national, and global wine press, such as the Nashville Scene, the Washington Post, and Decanter. As of the end of October, 100,000 bottles of wine have been saved with Repour. “When we reached that milestone so quickly, we knew we had delivered a wine preservation product that truly worked for consumers,” said Lutz.

Demand came immediately from overseas markets. “It doesn’t matter what country you’re in or what language you speak, if you drink wine, you generally don’t like to pour wine gone bad down the drain. It’s a universal problem,” said Lutz. Repour is already being sold in the UK and Netherlands, with distribution coming on board in Scandinavia, Asia, and Australia.

While wine going bad has been an age-old problem, wine preservation methods to date haven’t been that effective at solving it. “I was frustrated myself by trying gadgets that were expensive, complex, and ultimately, not very effective,” said Lutz. As a chemist himself, Lutz knew there could be a better way, so he went to work developing his idea.

Repour is the First to Use Active Oxygen Absorption to Keep Wine Fresh for Months

The Repour Wine Saver is the very first preservation approach to utilize active and continuous oxygen absorption in the preservation of wine. Repour is very easy for consumers to use: First remove a foil seal on the bottom of the stopper, then insert the stopper in the bottle, in place of the original cork. Inside the stopper is a novel FDA-approved oxygen absorber, which gets immediately to work absorbing any oxygen in the bottle. The Repour Wine Saver continues to absorb oxygen from the air above the wine for as long as the bottle is in use, for however many times it is opened and closed, and for as many days as the bottle needs to be preserved.

Lutz, a chemist, knew that oxygen absorption was a commonly used way to preserve food products, and wondered why it hadn’t been applied to wine. “When wine is exposed to oxygen it deteriorates, altering the taste and aroma, eventually producing the ‘vinegar’ taste we often associate with wine gone bad,” said Lutz. After trying various gadgets on the market to preserve his own wine, Lutz realized that none were easy, effective, or affordable. “I started working on a solution,” said Lutz. “With oxygen effectively and actively removed from both the air and the wine in the bottle, degradation is prevented and the original aroma and taste of the wine is preserved. That means no wine down the drain.”

An Enthusiastic Early Market Response

“We’ve had hundreds of consumers test the product in home use with excellent results,” said Lutz. Initial testing by wine experts and consumers demonstrated that the product is preferable over existing wine preservation products on the market because it is more effective and easier to use. In a recently completed survey of early customers, 100% rated Repour as effective and would recommend Repour to others. “I’m delighted to get this kind of validation and I’m happy we’re achieving the goal of keeping wine truly fresh in an easy and affordable way,” said Lutz.

The majority of customers also said that Repour has changed the way they enjoy their wine, which did not surprise Lutz. “Today, without good preservation methods, we, as consumers, have resigned ourselves to the fact that un-used wine will go bad. With Repour, we can now open wine guilt-free with confidence, knowing whenever we come back to it, however long that takes, it will taste just as good as when it was first opened. It’s really opening up a whole new level of wine freedom.”

Restaurants, bars, and tasting rooms have also become early fans and customers of Repour. “Repour allows a restaurant to offer more variety by the glass while at the same time, lowering their cost per glass by eliminating wine waste,” said Lutz. “We’re finding that restaurants, tasting rooms, and bars can save hundreds of dollars each week while improving their guest experience. It’s pretty compelling.”

More Information on Repour
Lutz has patents-pending on Repour’s design and has successfully completed independent 3rd party lab testing and validation, as well as blind taste tests by Certified Sommeliers.

The product is offered in single, 4-pack, 10-pack, and 72-pack options, with pricing as low as $1.00 per stopper when purchased in bulk.

Repour has already been featured on websites highlighting innovative new products, such as the grommet.com and touchofmodern.com. Consumers can order Repour on Amazon and repour.com. Repour is already available in over 2,000 stores in the U.S. Interested and qualified independent stores, restaurants, and bars can purchase wholesale from Repour easily through www.repour.com.

“It’s incredibly gratifying to see the vision coming into reality,” said Lutz. “We’re on a mission to save the world’s wine, and money, from the drain!”

About Tom Lutz
Tom Lutz is the founder and inventor of the Repour Wine Saver. He has both a Ph.D. in chemistry and an MBA. He has prior experience bringing new products to market across a variety of industries. His passions are family, triathlons, and developing innovative products that improve people’s lives.

About Repour
Repour is the Cedar Rapids, IA-based manufacturer of the innovative Repour Wine Saver. More information can be found at www.repour.com, on Repour’s YouTube channel, and on social media at @repourwinesaver.