Grad

What Grad does

Grad ApS is a privately held Danish company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Copenhagen, operating a single-product hardware business built around the Grad No.1 portable rechargeable wine cooler. The device uses active thermoelectric cooling technology paired with a 37Wh lithium-ion battery to maintain precise serving temperatures between +5°C and +20°C, with up to 20 hours of battery life at 15°C ambient and 2.5-hour recharging with use-while-charging capability. Manufacturing is based in Denmark and Sweden, and the product is sold in three variants: an Off-white edition at $624, a 2026 Black Edition at $624 with a next-generation cooling engine and multi-stage matte coating, and a premium Steel Series at $874 with brushed stainless steel construction.

The company operates a dual go-to-market: a direct-to-consumer Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with worldwide shipping (free to US and EU) supporting a broad set of payment methods, and a B2B enterprise channel serving restaurants, bars, hotels, and wineries with customizable branding and logo placement. Revenue is generated entirely through one-time hardware sales with no subscription or recurring component. Grad has no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no public ownership information; the firm is bootstrapped and independently owned.

The customer base spans individual wine enthusiasts in markets including Copenhagen, New York, Singapore, and Paris, plus hospitality B2B clients across Europe, North America, and Asia. The product has been featured in trade publications such as Tableware International, First Wine, Asia Food Journal, and Superadrianme, supporting a premium brand positioning anchored in Nordic design heritage. The business model is fundamentally a craft-hardware DTC play with limited scale evidence in the input data.

Name

Grad

Legal name

Grad ApS

Website

https://grad.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grad ApS is a Danish DTC hardware company founded in 2015 that designs, manufactures, and sells the Grad No.1 portable rechargeable wine cooler to individual wine enthusiasts and hospitality B2B clients across global markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Københoved

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: One-time purchase of Grad No.1 portable wine cooler products. Multiple product variants (Off-white, Steel Series, Black Edition) are sold at different price points ($624-$874). No subscription or recurring revenue model is currently offered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Grad designs, manufactures, and sells the Grad No.1, a portable rechargeable wine cooler using proprietary thermoelectric cooling powered by a lithium-ion battery to maintain wine at precise serving temperatures (5–20°C) without ice or condensation. The company sells directly to consumers worldwide through its Shopify storefront across three variants priced from $624 to $874, and provides B2B customers (restaurants, bars, hotels, wineries) with customizable branding solutions.

Product overview

Grad is a single-product company (portable wine cooler) founded in 2015, offering the Grad No.1 as its core product with multiple stylistic variants. The product portfolio consists of the Grad No.1 as the flagship portable rechargeable wine cooler, available in three finish variants: the 2026 Off-white edition (core offering), the Steel Series (premium brushed stainless steel variant at $874), and the 2026 Black Edition (limited edition with matte black coating and next-gen cooling). All variants share the same core technology: active thermoelectric cooling, 37Wh battery capacity, 5-20°C temperature range, and portable form factor. The company also offers B2B tailored solutions for restaurants, bars, hotels, and wineries with customizable branding options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grad No.1 — 2026 Off-white Edition Portable rechargeable wine cooler with active thermoelectric cooling technology, precise temperature control from +5°C to +20°C, 37Wh lithium-ion battery providing up to 20 hours runtime, 2.5-hour recharge time, use-while-charging capability, and global multi-plug charging. Ships with charging plate (1.2m wire) and getting-started leaflet. Priced at $624.

Quantifiable outcome

• Red wine cooled from room temperature to perfect serve in ~30 minutes; White wine in ~55 minutes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tableware InternationalminorOthersMedia coverage and editorial feature in Tableware International magazine highlighting the Grad No.1 wine cooler for unlocking wine excellence

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cuisinart: Major kitchen appliance brand with a wine cooler product line. Comparable technology overlap (thermoelectric cooling) via traditional (non-portable) wine chillers, plus massive retail distribution.
• Wine Enthusiast Companies: Broad wine accessories and storage retailer/manufacturer including wine coolers, conservation, and glassware. Overlaps on the wine cooler and accessory axis but at a much larger scale and broader catalog.
• Newair: Direct-to-consumer appliance brand covering wine coolers, beverage refrigerators, and portable cooling. Overlaps with Grad on thermoelectric wine cooling technology and DTC motion.
• Breville: Premium kitchen appliance maker with a strong wine and beverage preservation lineup. Comparable on premium positioning and DTC, but operating at vastly larger scale across broader categories.
• EuroCave: Premium wine storage and refrigeration specialist. Comparable on wine temperature-control technology at the storage/aging end, though focused on stationary cellars rather than portable service.

Direct peers

• Cooper Cooler: Rapid beverage chiller brand offering countertop cooling for wine and other bottles. Most directly comparable on the active-cooling technology axis, though still tethered to a power outlet.
• True Brands (True Fabrications): Design-led wine, bar, and lifestyle accessories company. Bench comparable to Grad on premium positioning, B2B hospitality channel, and multi-product line extensions.
• Vacu Vin: Established wine accessories brand offering wine chillers, preservers, and serving tools. Directly comparable consumer wine accessory category with broad global distribution.
• Corkcicle: Direct peer in premium wine and beverage accessories (chillers, tumblers, barware). Sells DTC and through major retail, similar brand-led positioning to Grad's premium wine cooler.

Others

• Lenox (Wine & Bar): Heritage tabletop and barware brand. While not a cooler manufacturer, comparable as a premium gifting and lifestyle brand in wine serving occasions where Grad also competes for share of wallet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/grad.dk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grad-aps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grad