James Martin, the founder of Copa Di Vino, left a strong impression on viewers of ABC’s Shark Tank. Copa Di Vino is a single-serve, ready-to-drink wine product designed without the need for bottles or corkscrews.
Many fans still rank him among the least popular entrepreneurs to appear on the show. He is a legend for coming on Shark Tank twice and refusing to bend to the will of the Sharks both times.
His confidence and refusal to make a deal rubbed people the wrong way at the time.
But that reaction only tells part of the story. Away from the cameras, Martin built something that clearly worked. Copa Di Vino went on to become a major success, proving there was substance behind his stubborn stance.
Love him or not, his results speak for themselves. His journey stands as a reminder that approval and achievement do not always travel together.
Where the Idea for Copa Di Vino Came From
Copa Di Vino is known for giving a high-quality glass of wine that is ready to drink anywhere. The company delivers a full glass without opening a bottle.
That means no wasted wine sitting in the fridge and no tools needed to get started. The concept aims to make wine more convenient without lowering its standards.
The idea grew out of years of struggle. Martin’s small, family-run winery in Oregon spent a long time scraping by before it finally became profitable.
The business was initially struggling, and that pushed him to think differently about packaging and distribution. When James Martin was invited to appear on Shark Tank Season 2, he saw a chance to speed things up.
Beyond money, he was looking for guidance from experienced business minds who had already navigated similar challenges.
Martin, in a conversation with ABC News, said, “At that point, we had just started the company, and we’re desperately in need of some cash. We thought it was a perfect fit for the show, and we were really excited to do it.”
Copa Di Vino’s First Shark Tank Appearance
Martin walked into the Tank seeking $600,000 in return for a 30% ownership stake. Things took an awkward turn in the Tank after Martin turned down every offer and dismissed the panel’s guidance.
Kevin O’Leary was the only Shark who showed interest right away, but proposed a very Sharkly structure. O’Leary made it clear he had no desire to get into the wine business itself. What caught his attention was the packaging technology.
He wanted control over the patent for the wine container while leaving the wine operation separate. The exchange turned heated, ending with O’Leary brushing him off as a “dead man walking” when he rejected his offer.
Barbara Corcoran later shared that the moment created clear tension among everyone involved.
Corcoran said, “He was arrogant, he didn’t listen. Everyone was giving him good suggestions. He just dismissed it as though he was talking to no one. He made every shark hate him within minutes.”
Martin has commented on the matter, saying, “I was so confident in my product that I thought for sure I would get the biggest deal that anyone got on this show. Instead, I got totally demolished.”
The Shark Tank Effect for Copa Di Vino
Martin later said his phone started buzzing almost right away after the episode aired. Investors reached out one after another, all wanting a chance to get involved. The attention came faster than he expected.
Dead Man Walking Shark Tank Comeback
Martin’s rapid rise in success caught the attention of the show’s producers. It was hard to ignore how quickly things took off. The show’s producers decided to give him another chance and asked him back for another pitch in Shark Tank Season 3. That kind of follow-up invite was far from typical.
Once the discussion got underway, it quickly resembled the first meeting. The same issues surfaced, and the room slipped right back into that earlier dynamic.
Both sides held their line, and the discussion hit a wall once again.
Martin, during his second appearance, said, “The first time I was on the show, we had done about $500,000 in revenue. Today we’ve done over $25 million in revenue. We’re on track to serve more wine than McDonald’s serves cheeseburgers.”
But the highlight of the pitch was Martin revealing how he had made a line of wine based on Kevin O’Leary’s comment from his previous appearance. He named the drink “Dead Man Walking” after Kevin’s rejecting comment to him on his earlier appearance on the show.
The Sharks did not like how Martin refused to stroke their ego. Still, they all acknowledged the laughs he provided.
A Shark’s Frustration, A Founder’s Resolve
Kevin O’Leary later reflected on the deal with clear frustration. In an interview with ABC News, he summed up his feelings about Copa Di Vino by saying it was “an arrow to my heart, the pain I suffer when I hear that name.”
Speaking on the incident, Martin said, “Stick to your vision, know your plan, know your business, and know your game. Make sure no one undersells you, even if they’re a shark.”
How Copa Di Vino Won Without a Deal
James Martin’s long gamble paid off at the start of 2021. That January, Copa Di Vino was acquired by Splash Beverage Group, Inc. The sale price was never made public. For Martin, it marked a clear exit after years of proving the concept on his own terms.
Splash is a publicly traded company under the ticker SBEV, which focuses on building a portfolio of beverage brands. At the time of the deal, Copa Di Vino was bringing in roughly two million dollars a year.
The business kept growing after the deal. By September 2022, a source at Splash said annual revenue had climbed to around $6 million.
James Martin’s Copa Di Vino is a great example of how Sharks need to be seen less as some Godly business entities and more as mere humans who also make mistakes. While Shark Tank has a reputation for exploiting small businesses at times, Martin did the opposite by exploiting the show and the Sharks for his benefit (as he should).
Today, Copa Di Vino stands as a rare example of a founder who won without a Shark. Martin’s journey shows that conviction and execution can matter more than winning favor in the Tank.
