Issaquah wine glass creators gain national exposure

Published 10:05 am Friday, October 19, 2012

It began with a stay-at-home mom of two watching her diet for summer, and a friend with a glass-etching company. It quickly grew to become Caloric Cuvee — a company selling a calorie-counting wine glass.

Since being launched in June, it has changed the lives of Issaquah residents Aileen Fredericks and Laura Daley with its rapid success.

After doing research on the average amount of calories per ounce for a basic red wine or chardonnay, Fredericks and Daley decided on using calorie etchings in 2-ounce increments on the glasses. Some clients are interested in the product for the health aspect, while the top line that reads “Who Cares” adds humor for those just interested in having fun with wine.

Dale handles marketing and front-end aspects, while Fredericks’ tasks are more about accounting and back-end. They always end up working together to get the job done.

“We tag-team. On any given night that we have a big rush, I’ll go over to Aileen’s etching company, and we wash and package the glasses. We’re up until 2 in the morning getting everything out of the door, and we make it fun,” said Dale.

The company has experienced a steep growth curve. In starting a new company, Dale and Fredericks are learning as they go, while their niche product continues to gain momentum. The company has become a limited-liability company in the past month, and they have had to hire an accountant due to business growth. Part of this quick success came July 9, just three weeks into launching as a company, when the calorie-counting wine glass was mentioned on the “Today” show by host Hoda Kotb.

“That week was crazy, East Coast orders were flooding in. Aileen called me to ask why we were getting so many orders, we didn’t even know we were mentioned on the show!” said Daley.

After the show, they got around 500 orders in just 24 hours.

Social media platforms such as Pinterest and their website also have been instrumental in gaining attention across the country. Most of the orders come from Texas, California, Florida, and other states along the East Coast. Most orders are from women, including a lot of group requests for events such as book clubs and bridal showers.

“I ordered the glasses for a bridal shower, the ‘Who Cares’ line was too hilarious to pass up after I saw it on Pinterest,” said Kelly Anderson, a Seattle resident.

Frederickso and Daley plan to expand their products and move into new markets, such as wholesale.

More information on Caloric Cuvee can be seen on their website.

Mary Coughlin is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.