Coppola‘s Domain de Broglie takes Top Honors at 30th annual McMinnville Wine Competition
The McMinnville Wine Classic Competition completed its 30th annual professional judging on Saturday January 7, 2023.
All eight out-of-state judges arrived unfettered and ready to help elevate the competition.
The wine competition has not missed an event including through the peak Covid years, and is a dedicated fundraiser for McMinnville’s St. James School.
It raises thousands of dollars for programs benefiting the school’s children. Organized by Rolland Toevs, Carl Giavanti and Jon Johnson and staffed by volunteers, the Mac Classic competition is one of the largest Oregon Only wine competitions in the state.
The competition draws professional judges from across the U.S.
This year’s panel represents the full spectrum of the wine industry, including future MW Samantha Cole Johnson of Janice Robinson.com, Sommeliers like Fred Swan and Ellen Landis, Buyer Jusden Aumand from Tri-Vin Imports, and Wine Writers such as Clive Pursehouse the U.S. Editor for Decanter Magazine, Eric Degerman of Great Northwest Wine, Deborah Parker-Wong the U.S. Editor Slow Wine Guide, James Melendez aka James the Wine Guy, and Michael Apstein of Wine Review Online and Terroir Sense.
Wines were showing well, with distribution of Double Gold and Gold awards was across the state.
Taking home top honors in 2023 was Domaine de Broglie, whose 2019 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir claimed Best of Show, Best Pinot Noir and Best Red Varietal, a first time ever for any winery in the state.
Cardwell Hill Cellars won Best Chardonnay again this year, a record fourth time, for their 2021 The Bard Chard, as well as Best White Varietal. Pike Road Winery won Best Dessert Wine for their Yamhill-Carlton AVA Route 47 Late Harvest white.
Rounding out the awards was Durant Vineyards who gained the top spot in the Best Sparkling Wine category for their 2019 Brut sparkling wine. All Double Gold and Gold Medals are listed at the bottom of this page:
For more details, visit https://www.mcminnvillewinecompetition.com/
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DC’s Apéro, Napa’s Be Bubbly, NYC’s Coqodaq: Top 10 Bars and Restaurants for Champagne from Bureau du Champagne
Napa’s Be Bubbly, NYC’s Coqodaq, DC’s Apéro: Top 10 Bars and Restaurants for Champagne from Bureau du Champagne
From Napa to DC to Manhattan and just 7 other sparkling stops!
Bureau du Champagne, USA today announced its annual list of the Top 10 Bars and Restaurants where Champagne plays a starring role. The list, now in its third year, recognizes establishments that elevate and celebrate the uniqueness of the sparkling wine that comes only from Champagne, France.
Released in advance of Champagne Day 2024, the list showcases Champagne standouts in every U.S. region. It recognizes restaurants and bars that take special care to offer Champagnes from a wide variety of producers, list them properly on their menus, and serve them with élan.
“We received nominations for spectacular bars and restaurants across the country, and selected from them a list of destinations that embody the spirit of Champagne,”
Lori Russo
Director,
the Bureau du Champagne, USA.
“While these restaurants and bars differ in style, spanning the spectrum from fine dining to fried chicken, they all have one thing in common: they understand what makes Champagne special. For that, we couldn’t be prouder to raise a glass to them on Champagne Day and the rest of the year.”
The full list of this year’s featured bars and restaurants can be found below in alphabetical order:
- Apéro, Washington, DC: Apéro’s list of more than 700 wines places special emphasis on Champagne. The intimate setting in DC’s popular Georgetown neighborhood is an ideal spot to explore an extensive list of Champagnes smartly organized by style.
- Be Bubbly, Napa, Calif.: In the heart of California wine country, Be Bubbly takes care to showcase Champagne with a menu that includes a map of the region’s five wine-producing districts and a philosophy of Champagne as a celebration of life.
- Boiler Room, Omaha: The wine list at this terroir-focused restaurant, originally conceived by a Master Sommelier, offers a broad range of Champagnes at varying price points so everyone can join in the celebration.
- Charleston, Baltimore: The wine program at Charleston emphasizes the special relationship between wine and food. The Champagne list, which spans three pages of its menu, explains the magic of Champagne along with a diversity of tasting profiles.
- Coqodaq, New York: Proving the versatility of Champagne, Coqodaq pairs the sparkling wine with both caviar and its signature bucket of Korean fried chicken.
- Coupes, Dallas: Coupes bills itself as a bar for Champagne. True to its name, its vast menu of Champagnes explains that “Champagne is a sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wines are Champagne.”
- Fizz Champagne & Bubbles Bar, Sacramento, Calif.: Fizz believes in celebrating everyday triumphs with Champagne. Its menus and events elevate Champagne from France and distinguish it from other sparkling wines.
- La Vie, Waikiki, Hawaii: La Vie’s emphasizes farm-to-table dining with French flair, so its large selection of vintage and non-vintage Champagnes creates the perfect complement, and the view is special, too.
- Pops for Champagne, Chicago: Known for its special events, tastings, Champagne education and a vast list of Champagnes of every style, Pops has been dazzling Chicago with Champagne since 1982.
- Sexy Fish, Miami: The extraordinary interior of this Brickell restaurant is matched only by its extensive list of Champagnes both accessible and rare.
For more information on Champagne Day or to find an event near you, visit champagneday.champagne.fr. More events will be added in the near future, so check back often.
Bureau du Champagne, USA, is the official U.S. representative of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), a trade association representing the houses and winegrowers of Champagne, France. The Bureau works to advance the CIVC’s mission of defending the interests of the Champagne appellation worldwide through education and advocacy. For more information, visit us online at www.champagne.us.
DC to TX for Gin: Self-made Billionaire John Paul DeJoria acquires Waterloo Gin
Self-made Billionaire John Paul DeJoria acquires Waterloo Gin
Passionate entrepreneur and philanthropist John Paul DeJoria, the self-made billionaire founder of Patrón Tequila and Paul Mitchell hair care, has announced the purchase of Waterloo Gin, the first gin brand distilled in Texas.
Developed by Treaty Oak Distilling in Dripping Springs, Texas, near Austin, Waterloo Gin was launched in 2009, named after Austin’s original name – Waterloo – before the city was rechristened in the 1830s for Texas pioneer Stephen F. Austin.
Waterloo is known for its exceptional quality, craftsmanship, and unique flavor profile that blends fruits and botanicals that perfectly capture the Texas Hill Country.
The brand’s flagship Waterloo No. 9 Gin (94 proof) is crafted in the New American style, distilled with nine local botanicals including lavender, grapefruit, and pecan. The other expression in the Waterloo portfolio, Waterloo Antique Gin (also 94 proof), spends two years in first-use medium char American white oak barrels, matured under the hot Texas sun to develop rich wood flavors that complement the herbal notes of the base Waterloo No. 9. Both Waterloo Gins are naturally 100% gluten, carb, and additive free.
“Waterloo is an extraordinarily high-quality, innovative and world-class spirit, a gin I’m certain that people will enjoy,” says DeJoria, who founded Patrón Tequila in 1989 and built it into a $5.1 billion business when it was sold to Bacardi in 2018.
“I’m very honored for the opportunity to help grow this incredible brand, and share Waterloo Gin with more bartenders, retailers, and consumers all across the country.”
The company will be led by CEO Justin Meigs, who was previously an original member of the Empress Gin executive team that launched and grew the brand to over 260,000 annual case sales in 5 years, prior to the company’s exit in 2022.
“I’m incredibly excited about this new chapter for the Waterloo brand, now in the capable hands of John Paul DeJoria and his talented team of spirits industry veterans,” says Daniel Barnes, the founder of Waterloo at Treaty Oak. “Their deep industry experience and passion for cultivating and growing brands gives me great confidence that Waterloo will continue to flourish and reach new consumers everywhere.”
Though the recipe, production process, and brand name for Waterloo Gin will not change, the brand packaging and imagery will undergo a comprehensive refresh, with expanded national distribution, early next year.
Currently, Waterloo is available through Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) in Texas and Breakthru Beverage in Florida.
Additionally, customers in other states can purchase Waterloo online at www.waterloogin.com/shop-gin.
DC Seizes Tonight: Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Launches “Seize Tonight”
Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey released an engaging new commercial to support the recently launched “Seize Tonight” which encourages fans of Larceny to unleash their carefree spirit and get into some “good mischief”.
The brand will also extend its reach with Community Ambassadors who embody this same spirit in the gaming, music and food scenes to create compelling content which highlights the craftsmanship behind Larceny Bourbon and their respective passions.
The “Seize Tonight” campaign is centered around the idea that the most memorable moments happen when you let curiosity get the best of you and take a little risk – much like John E. Fitzgerald himself.
On the heels of its successful premium packaging redesign, the brand will debut an engaging new ad on premium streaming platforms directed by award-winning commercial film director André Betz.
The spot shows how Larceny can be the catalyst for turning an ordinary evening into a memorable one.
The hero seizes the opportunity to liven his friends’ night out by playing the piano after seeing a compelling vision of a keyhole ignite on the instrument. The crowd is surprised to hear the piano play, partly because the hero is so good, but also because the piano is clearly off limits. The spot reaches a pivotal moment when the stern bartender walks over to tell off the hero, only to reveal that she’s there to pour him a glass of Larceny in appreciation of his spontaneity.
Both the 30-second video, as well as 15-second version, will be streamed on Connected TV and Online Video.
The “Seize Tonight” campaign’s manifesto will be brought to life by expanding the brand’s reach and appeal beyond the traditional bourbon drinker through influential Community Ambassadors in the gaming, music and food scenes.
LP Giobbi is a celebrated DJ, producer, pianist, and activist, known for her innovative sound and impactful contributions to music and advocacy.
BlackKrystel is a dominant force in in the world of gaming and has made her mark as an efficacious voice for carefree, authentic fun.
Fabrizio Villalpando is a no-holds-barred home cook whose bold attitude towards entertaining through food has left a mark in the culinary scene.
Justin Sajda is a self-described “average guy who makes above average cocktails” whose creative concoctions elevate the spirits he serves behind the bar and on social media where he can be found @thirstywhale_.
Unlike many other bourbons, Larceny is made with wheat instead of the traditional rye, using a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat and 12% malted barley. The use of 20% wheat as the secondary flavor grain is 25% more than the leading competitor, resulting in exceptional smoothness. Larceny Small Batch is available nationwide at a SRP of $27.99 and the new, premium packaging is now shipping. Individual batches of Larceny Barrel Proof are released nationally on an allocated basis three times annually at a SRP of $64.99 and will be bottled in the new packaging starting this fall.
Fans of Larceny are encouraged to enjoy it straight, on the rocks or in the classic Paper Plane cocktail.
ABOUT LARCENY BOURBON
The story of Larceny begins with John E. Fitzgerald, a bonded U.S. Treasury agent with a penchant for thievery of the best Bourbon.
Using his keys to let himself into rickhouses at night, the “Fitzgerald Barrels”, as they came to be known, became one of America’s most beloved whiskeys after Prohibition with the launch of Old Fitzgerald.
Today, the John E. Fitzgerald story continues through Larceny, an incredibly smooth and exceptional small batch Wheated Bourbon. First brought to market in 2012, Larceny is one of the most successful new-to-the-world Bourbons in the past decade.
Produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, the brand offers Larceny Small Batch and Larceny Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Since its inception, Larceny has been an award-winning, best in class Bourbon receiving accolades such as Double Gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Whisky Advocate Whisky of the Year in 2020. F
or more information, please visit www.larcenybourbon.com.
Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”
About the Author
Joe Wehinger (nicknamed Joe Winger) has written for over 20 years about the business of lifestyle and entertainment. Joe is an entertainment producer, media entrepreneur, public speaker, and C-level consultant who owns businesses in entertainment, lifestyle, tourism and publishing. He is an award-winning filmmaker, published author, member of the Directors Guild of America, International Food Travel Wine Authors Association, WSET Level 2 Wine student, WSET Level 2 Cocktail student, member of the LA Wine Writers. Email to: Joe@FlavRReport.comYou Might also like
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Bear Grillz, Benda, Blanke, Layz, & Sullivan King June 3 at Echo Stage
Bear Grillz, Benda, Blanke, Layz, & Sullivan King June 3 at Echo Stage
Heralded as Washington, DC’s premier hybrid nightclub and concert venue.Echostage brings the festival experience indoors year-round, allowing fans to enjoy full-scale music production. Currently ranked #1 Nightclub in the World by DJ Mag.Bear Grillz, Benda, Blanke, Layz, & Sullivan King at Echo Stage
Bear Grillz is an American electronic dance music DJ and record producer based in Denver, Colorado. He appeared on The Jerry Springer Show to reveal his identity
Benda hails from Miami, Florida, Niv Ben-David is one of the younger electronic music acts currently up-and-coming within the bass music soundscape.
Operating under the moniker Benda, this 18-year-old Israeli DJ and producer is marking 2018 as his year to rise.
Mentored under the tutelage of the world-renowned DJ/producer Borgore, Ben-David is without-a-doubt a name to keep on your radar throughout the upcoming festival circuit. Now based in Los Angeles, California, Ben-David is getting ready to drop the needle on his arsenal of signature, wall-crumbling sound designs.
From diplomas to dubstep, emerging bass artist LAYZ has had quite the come-up.
After attending Lost Lands’ 2017 debut, LAYZ returned with a newfound desire to create the very music she’s passionate about. Despite juggling college and work, the budding DJ and producer tirelessly spent many nights immersing herself in her craft.
LAYZ’s slaughterous synths and bone-crushing basses quickly landed on producers’ and fans’ radars – and she’s been quickly climbing ever since.
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Succotash Prime melds Steakhouse with Dixie & Asian flavors from Star Chef Lee
Succotash Prime melds Dixie & Asian flavors with Star Chef Edward Lee
A progressive perspective of classic Southern favorites. James Beard Award winner, Chef Edward Lee, brings his Korean roots and Southern repertoire to a soulful Southern menu.
Succotash Prime – restaurant’s revamped steakhouse
Succotash, celebrity chef Edward Lee’s luxe Southern restaurant in Penn Quarter known as Succotash Prime, the restaurant’s revamped steakhouse menu lists smoked steaks with a range of sauces and a la carte sides that maintain the Kentuckian and Korean influences Lee imbued into the original.
Lee calls the steakhouse format “an American classic” that lets people design their own meals.
The menu lists six different cuts of sustainably raised beef from well-regarded producers like Roseda Farms in Monkton, Maryland, Seven Hills Food Co. in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Creekstone Farms in Kansas.
Prices range from the $39 hanger steak to a $119 bone-in tomahawk ribeye for two, all of them spend brief time in a Southern Pride smoker in Succotash’s basement kitchen before getting seared and paired with sauces like soy-ginger glaze, blue cheese with furikake, or Cajun-spiced butter.
Sides include an Old Bay mac and cheese, cheesy grits, watermelon and fried peanuts, and collard greens with kimchi and country ham.
Succotash Prime isn’t just for Carnivores
Succotash Prime added a grilled eggplant steak with mint chimichurri, for vegetarians, and expanded its selection of fish dishes.
Popular dishes like the chicken and waffles with pickled okra, dirty fried chicken with honey gochujang sauce, deviled eggs, and Nashville hot oysters are still available.
The restaurant added new murals and made repairs inside the 10,000-square-foot space located inside a historic bank building at 915 F Street NW.
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DC Demands Juicier BBQ Chicken: The Secret? Shark Tank’s Turbo Trusser revealed by Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust.
Secret to BBQing a Juicier Chicken? Shark Tank’s Turbo Trusser revealed by Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust.
Want juicier chicken? Yes. More flavor? Yes. Get it all setup in seconds? Yes. Two guys who love good food decided to tackle the problem.
Luckily, a Chef and a Builder were on the team. And luckily the team has business smarts, creativity and can-do spirit. Lastly, the team got global attention by winning their way onto hit TV show Shark Tank where Kevin O’Leary got excited by the flavors, the team and their product.
Today Turbo Trusser partners Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust stopped by for a conversation about delicious food, creating a great team and the secret to cooking.
The below conversation was edited for length and clarity. Find the full conversation on our YouTube channel.
Can you guys share a memory about how being in the backyard with your family and friends inspired you to create the Turbo Trusser?
Brian Halasinski: Kirk and I have been working together on inventions for the last eight years and oftentimes we’ll have an idea that’ll come up and we’ll text each other and we’ll write it down in a notebook and then we’ll come and visit it later.
It just happened that I was getting ready to make chicken for my family and I was going to do a rotisserie chicken and I was trying to figure out how to tie this bird up with traditional strings. So I got my iPad and I’m watching a video.
I have to pause the video. My hands are covered in chicken juice. And after it was all done, it wasn’t done well.
I texted Kirk because he’s a trained chef from the culinary Institute. There’s gotta be a better way. We started working on the Turbo Trusser from there.
After your success on Shark Tank, Turbo Trusser has become a global hit. How have your backgrounds inspired where you are today?
Kirk Hyust: I’ve been a building contractor for 25 years. Before that I was a chef. I got burnt out [being a Chef] and then I started building things and that’s how Brian and I met. I renovated his house for him.
I was in the middle of inventing a wrench and Brian saw it [and said], ‘I want to start inventing too. You want to be inventing partners.’
We still haven’t quit our day jobs. We work seven days a week. Luckily working for us a lot of the time is cooking. Which is good.
You mentioned you are a trained chef. Tell us about your chef side.
Kirk Hyust: I went to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Classical French cuisine. We’re from Ohio, so I like meat and potatoes and hearty casseroles.
Do you have a favorite dish?
Kirk Hyust: Fettuccine Alfredo and Turbo Trusser chicken.
Brian, can we touch on your background and how how you ended up with TurboTruster?
Brian Halasinski: I have been in the pharmaceutical sales industry for the last 20 years. I have a fairly flexible schedule to where I’m on the road and can be on the phone and be multitasking quite a bit when I’m working.
I’ve had that entrepreneurial spirit in a way. Then when I met Kirk, he had invented this wrench and he was working on my house and he was there for it was a pretty decent sized project.
So over time we became friends. I became interested in the whole process of inventing.
And then with that, you could actually take your invention and license it to somebody, basically renting out your idea and collecting a royalty. Kirk and I always thought that would be great.
We did a couple of products and we licensed them. Didn’t end up working out […]. We learned a little bit about the failures. And then ultimately that day I texted Kirk and said, listen, we got to come up with a better way to trust a chicken or Turkey. And we looked out there and there was nothing available other than butcher’s twine, which has been the way it’s been done for a hundred years.
A huge majority of people cook chicken and turkeys the wrong way. That’s my assumption.
When we compare your final chicken to a poorly done chicken what’s the difference?
Kirk Hyust: Trusting actually is a technique that brings all the meat together. If you don’t trust a bird, you’re actually cooking five pieces of meat separately. You got two wings, you got two legs and thighs and a breast. What you do, when you truss a bird, you actually bring all the pieces together and it cooks as one piece of meat, so it’s cooked more evenly and it’s juicier.
If you don’t cook it, if you don’t tie it up, if you just throw it in the oven or on the grill, what happens is all the meat cooks separately. The breast is gonna be done before the legs. The wings probably are going to dry out and they’re going to be inedible. Because when you use the Turbo Trusser the wings are great.
It makes one ball of meat essentially and cooks it as one piece of meat instead of five.
Is it the ego of the grill master? Or how do we help people realize they can have a better bird?
Kirk Hyust: That’s a really good question because we get that a lot. People have never even heard the term truss. To truss a bird.
Your bird’s gonna be a lot better, but it’s gonna take you about five minutes to do it when it takes 20 seconds to use our product. Especially a Thanksgiving Turkey because that will dry out a lot faster than a chicken.
Brian Halasinski: With the Turbo Trusser, the way it’s designed it’s going to hold the stuffing in place too. So the stuffing’s not going to dry out the way it closes the cavity.
If you’re going to do a rotisserie, you absolutely have to tie that bird up or your legs and wings are going to be just flopping around the whole time.
Can we talk a little bit about the process going from zero to where we are today?
Brian Halasinski: It was when we came up with the concept.
First, we started making prototypes. We made them out of cardboard. Then we made them out of wood. Kirk’s got all these tools so we could easily cut things. Then through trial and error with prototypes that we could make cheaply, we ended up with a very similar design to what we have today.
Then from there, we found a local fabricating shop that was able to laser cut out some samples for us so we could actually cook with them. We did all these things, refining the process and refining the product down to where we wanted to make it. Then we had to make a decision: make this here in the U.S. or go overseas.
Kirk and I made a decision based on our beliefs and our values that we wanted to make it here in the U.S. Being in Ohio, we were close to Cleveland, Ohio. This was the rust belt. There’s still a lot of manufacturing here.
So within one hour of our headquarters, we were able to source everything we needed to mass produce and launch this product to the world from Canton, Ohio.
Kirk Hyust: We had six prototypes by the time we got to our seventh one. That was the one that we stuck with. We just kept refining the prototypes until we landed on the seventh one, which is that what in the stores or online.
Can you tell us a little bit about from prototype one to seven? How did we get there?
Kirk Hyust: When you’re doing a prototype, obviously you have to solve a problem. When you build a product, it has to work correctly or you’re going to get bad reviews.
But we started out with a couple different designs. We bought a chicken and a turkey; and we put this contour gauge on the leg, so that made the dips that you see now where the legs go into. Then we were in my shop, cutting it out and it looked like [bird] wings so we ended up putting the heads on it because it already had wings that the legs sat into the cradle.
It’s a lot of detail.
Kirk Hyust: Yes, exactly. We just got our patent […] issued for the very first time. Even if it’s a piece of stamp metal and 2 wires. How intricate it really is.
Kirk, between your chef skills and your contractor skills. A perfect combination of bringing those two skill sets together.
Kirk Hyust: It is. We have sales and numbers and Brian’s also creative. […]The technical stuff, the websites, we develop everything together, but we have our strengths, he has a master’s degree in business. So he’s trained really well for that.
So it’s lie our strengths and weaknesses definitely fit together with each other.
Can we just talk through in the most simple, basic steps, how to use the Turbo Trusser?
Kirk Hyust: It’s really very simple. I usually buy a five pound bird. [With] smaller birds, it still works. It goes up to a 10 pound chicken.
Then you take the plastic off, pull the packet of giblets and everything out of the inside. Rinse it off. Pat it dry with a paper towel and if you have time, put it in the refrigerator and let the skin dry out. Put the Turbo Trusser on it, hook the legs in, hook the wings.
Use duck fat or some kind of a binder to put your spices on it. Salt and pepper, your favorite rub, something spicy, something sweet. Coat it with some kind of oil, or ghee or olive oil.
Put it in the oven at 375 for an hour and a half until it hits 165 degrees. That’s pretty much in a nutshell how easy it is.
Brian Halasinski: The Turbo Trusser is just three pieces. You got the main piece. Then you have two hooks. The hooks are going to go through the holes on the body of the chicken. You’re going to put the sharp end through the hole. It’s going to lock into place with the other end.
So it’s simply, put the two hooks into the Turbo Trusser body. You hook them onto the wings. The legs go into the cradle and in 20 seconds, you’re done.
How do we get that strong-willed Backyard Grillmaster to give the Turbo Trusser a try?
Brian Halasinski: Just telling them to keep it simple and go back to what people have been doing for 100 years. And that’s using string to tie it up. Only we came up with a simpler solution. So it’s what everybody’s been people don’t do it because they’re intimidated, but now they don’t have to be. The turbo truss are so easy to use.
Anybody can use it. Even if you have dexterity problems, you’re never going to figure out how to, you’re not going to be able to tie up a bird if you have problems with your fingers, right? older people, maybe they have arthritis and it’s hard for them to tie a knot. Now with the turbo trusser, you can do that without fear and you can, it’s simple and effective.
As we wrap up, tell me about the Shark Tank experience.
Kirk Hyust: It was crazy.
Brian Halasinski: I’ll give you a high level view. We launched our product on November 1st of 2021.
Right away we went online and we applied for Shark Tank. It was 100% online. Before COVID they would do open casting calls like Like American Idol.
About 50, 000 people apply. They narrow that down to about 125 people that tape [a TV segment], and maybe 100 or so will end up airing on television for the season that you’re in.
So we apply, we have no sales, we don’t hear a word from them for a couple months. So we launched the product. We did pretty well. We sold like $50,000 worth of Turbo Trussers in the first two months of being in business with nobody ever heard of us.
We went back and we re-applied again, we got some sales numbers. Eventually they called. I Six months after we initially applied, they called us.
You basically work down through the process every week. They’re giving you something new to turn in, to make a video.
Our first video, we came up with the idea to wear the chicken and turkey costumes. We said we wanted to stand out. We know that Shark Tank is television. If it’s not good TV, people aren’t going to watch it. They loved it.
We made it all the way down through. We went all the way out to California and taped [our episode]. We ended up getting a deal with Kevin O’Leary, which was incredible.
Kirk Hyust: Brian’s a salesman. I’m not used to that. So when I was on Shark Tank, I messed my lines up. I went blank for a couple seconds. I missed my cue to go over to my spot and I was really flustered, but I recovered, but man, that was the worst part.
Tell us the website, social media, where to find you, where to browse your products, where to learn more about you.
Brian Halasinski: The first thing for our product is TurboTrusser.com.
You can make your decision if you want to buy from our website, or you can go to Amazon Prime across the country.
You can find us on all the regular social media at Turbo Trusser on Facebook, Instagram, TikToK
You can find me, Brian Halasinski on LinkedIn, connect with us and be happy to chat or answer any questions with anybody.
Kirk Hyust: I’m on LinkedIn as well.
You can reach out if you have any questions. I write a lot of the PPAs (provisional patent applications) and stuff. So any kind of questions, how to cook a good bird we’re accessible. We want to help we want to help anybody out there that we can, because we’ve had a lot of people help us along the way.
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