Kiwi brand Huski is on track to double its eight-figure annual revenue this year.

Huski makes ice-free coolers for drinks like wine, beer and champagne and has become the number-one seller in its category on Amazon across the US, UK, Australia and Canada. Its coolers are now exported to more than 50 countries, including Germany, Japan and the UAE.

Most recently, the company secured its largest export order to date – 76,000 units to the UK.

Cool without ice

What began in a Taranaki farm shed less than a decade ago has grown into a patent-pending product range, now stocked in over 500 retail stores across New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the US.

The brand has also been featured by major international outlets, including Rolling Stone, Vogue, GQ and Oprah’s Favorite Things.

Huski co-founder Simon Huesser says that since champagne was first created in the 1600s, there has been virtually no advancement in how it’s kept cold on the go, with the traditional ice bucket remaining the default for centuries.

Huski’s double-walled vacuum insulation keeps drinks cold for hours without ice – solving the common problem of warm wine or beer before the bottle or can is finished.

“Sparkling wines like champagne and prosecco are particularly sensitive to temperature and experts recommend serving them between 6°C and 10°C to preserve both flavour and carbonation,” says Huesser.

“Once opened, the carbon dioxide that creates bubbles begins to escape rapidly, especially as the wine warms. Our champagne cooler not only maintains the ideal temperature range for up to six hours without ice, it also features the patent-pending BubbleLock Bottle Stopper, which helps slow the loss of effervescence and extend the drinking experience. We believe it’s a world-first feature.”

From beer to bubbly

Huesser says the idea for Huski came from realising that while insulated beer coolers were available in the US, can and bottle sizes in Aotearoa differed from those overseas.

“US beer cans are 355ml, Australia’s are typically 375ml and New Zealand is predominantly 330ml – with a mix of other formats. 

“The realisation that there was no one-size-fits-all solution across markets led us to develop a more universal product range. That’s when we saw real potential, and why we started collecting bottles and cans from recycling bins to get the sizing right,” he says.

Huesser adds that their original beer cooler built a strong following for its ability to keep drinks ice-cold without mess or condensation.

As demand grew, customers began asking for a version that worked for wine and bubbly bottles, says Huesser – so the team developed specific products to meet that need.

The solution for wine lovers

“Designing for sparkling wine came with a new set of challenges. The bottles are larger, the shapes more varied and the drink itself, with its effervescence and sense of occasion, demanded something more than a simple size upgrade,” says Huesser.

“We focused on the full experience, not just keeping bubbly cold. That meant researching bottle variations, testing with real users and thinking about how every detail, including the packaging, could enhance both performance and perception.”

Their solution was a vacuum-insulated stainless steel cooler with a removable stopper at the base, designed to keep sparkling wine at its ideal serving temperature.

The patent-pending integrated bottle stopper slows carbonation loss, helping champagne, prosecco and other sparkling wines stay bubbly longer – solving a major frustration for wine lovers worldwide, he says.

“The solution isn’t complicated but it’s thoughtful and as the stopper lives in the base of the cooler, it’s always on hand when you need it, not lost in a drawer somewhere.”

World-class design

Huski’s Champagne cooler design captured the attention of one of the world’s most respected design institutions, says Huesser.

“The Red Dot Design Award is one of the most prestigious design competitions globally.

“Winning the 2025 Award has been a career highlight. It means being recognised by more than 40 international experts for innovation, functionality and aesthetic appeal. It puts us in the company of brands like Apple, Dyson and Ferrari.”

Huski’s growing popularity has driven significant growth but also brought challenges, especially with intellectual property, he adds.

“As a design-led business, we have had to be proactive about IP protection from day one. 

“We now run monthly sweeps to identify copycat products and have successfully taken down hundreds of infringing listings. It is not just about stopping imitators, it is about safeguarding the value of the research, testing and design work we have invested in,” he says.

Fortunately, that focus has paid off in unexpected ways. 

“In one case, we intercepted a shipment of 15,000 design-infringing wine coolers en route to customers in Australia. After a friendly chat with the importer, it eventually resulted in a significantly larger legitimate commercial order.”

Coolers without borders

With a growing international reach, Huski’s direct-to-consumer model has proven highly scalable.

“We typically enter new markets through Amazon, then expand through our direct-to-consumer e-Commerce websites, retail partnerships and loyalty programmes,” says Huesser.

“This approach has driven significant growth in markets like Australia and the UK, where sales have more than doubled in the past 12 months alone. 

“We have grown from selling to friends and family in New Zealand to exporting over 1.5 million products worldwide.

“More than three-quarters of our business now comes from overseas, and that growth is continuing,” he adds.