The Original Chocolate and Wine Experience

Cheryl Sher, owner and founder of Bliss in a Bottle, created her luxury brand as the original chocolate-dipped wine bottle. Circa 1999, the bottles were beautiful and served as a nice centerpiece. Initially the slogan was "chocolate and wine paired as never before". Over time, as she continued working with chocolate and wine, Cheryl began experimenting with pairings of the two, in order to merge her passions into a never-before-seen concept. Bliss in a Bottle curates unique and custom flavor pairings via dips, drizzles, infusions, dustings, and sprinkles that are applied directly to the shrink-wrapped bottles.  

There is no other product like that which is offered by BIAB. With Cheryl’s ingenuity, she has single-handedly rescued all wine enthusiasts of the world with bottles lavishly bathed in gourmet chocolate and inclusions to enhance the enjoyment of both what you eat AND what you drink. Every morsel eaten is expertly paired to the corresponding wine to create a lasting, blissful experience.  

Bliss in a Bottle uses the finest ingredients in its gourmet pairings, starting with Callebaut Belgian chocolates and some of the following: Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean powder, pure fruit essences, along with a line of Swiss and German confections. These quality ingredients, and many others, are used both as toppings and flavor infusions. Some ingredients are locally sourced, serving to support and unite small businesses in the Columbus area. Espresso is outsourced through Stauf’s Coffee, and spices and other savory ingredients can be traced to North Market Spices. 

Originally, customers could find their favorite pairings at retail stores in downtown Columbus and Gahanna. After 5 years of careful planning, an unprecedented and heretofore uncopied idea of mall kiosks came to life. The first Bliss in a Bottle kiosk was opened in October of 2013 in the Polaris Fashion Place in Columbus.  It was a magical concept, and in the span of six years expanded to be found in the center of many shopping malls throughout Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. The stores were company-owned with the exception of one franchise. Retail sales in 2019 were strong; however, witnessing decreased mall traffic, the increased popularity of online shopping and, soon the COVID-19 Pandemic, the company needed to make a transition. Closures of malls, increasingly strict guidelines for cross-state alcohol sales, and COVID-19 regulations have all proven to be challenging to the continuance of small business across America. Bliss in a Bottle has brilliantly pivoted their marketplace to an online store with a new website, reliance on social media platforms, email newsletters and digital marketing. BIAB developed a new licensing model and can now ship to 9 states: Alaska, California, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. Non-alcoholic beverages with the same brilliant pairings can be shipped anywhere in the world. Via a new licensing model, Bliss in a Bottle has evolved yet again to include liquor pairings like Bourbon and Vodka. 

In light of recent events and changes in consumer behavior, Cheryl wanted to continue to shift the image of the brand. Bliss in a Bottle isn’t just a gift to give others, it’s an everyday luxury to be enjoyed by everyone, from the new wine drinker, to the seasoned wine enthusiast. The focus will continue on sourcing the finest ingredients and creative license to develop unstoppable, imaginative pairings. The company can also now accommodate more specialty orders and labelling, such as offering private-labeled or personally curated gourmet food and beverage pairings for events like weddings, corporate zoom meetings, etc.