Where Is Beer Blizzard From Shark Tank Today?

If you're a "Shark Tank" fan, you might remember the amusing duo who appeared on the popular ABC show in 2016, trying to score a deal for their beer can cooling product. Pittsburgh-based entrepreneurs Mike Robb and Tom "Ozzy" Osborne questioned the effectiveness of beer koozies, so they created Beer Blizzard, a plastic disc that cools aluminum cans at their base. Besides making everyone laugh on Season 7, Episode 22, the two friends were able to walk away from the on-screen set with a deal from Mark Cuban in the amount of $100,000 for 25% of the Beer Blizzard business.

Even though Robb and Osborne appeared to have made their break into the mainstream market, as of 2023, Beer Blizzard is no longer available for purchase online or in stores. Apparently, Beer Blizzard's deal with Cuban never materialized. Yet that didn't stop the two steadfast business owners from continuing to raise money and work to see their one-of-a-kind product reach the shelves of major retailers, including Walmart and Bed Bath & Beyond. 

So, how did Robb and Osborne go from amassing popularity from a small plastic cooler disc to shutting their proverbial doors entirely in 2018? 

Before we get into the details of Beer Blizzard's demise, let's take a closer look at the history of the business, specifically in regard to some decisions that may or may not have potentially impacted sales. Tom Osborne and Mike Robb centered their entire business on a short-term solution for keeping beer cans cold on the go. Marketed as small plastic discs with hydra-gel that fit neatly inside the bottom of standard Koozies, Beer Blizzard was founded in 2013. The business owners ran a successful Kickstarter campaign in the company's early years, garnering more than $40,000 by 2014. Robb and Osborne had also won a medal for their innovation behind Beer Blizzard at a nationally recognized inventor showcase by the time they appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2016.

So what could have potentially affected the long-term success of this beer-cooling business? For one thing, when Robb and Osborne appeared on the popular ABC show, they shot down Lori Greiner's idea to expand their market to a broad range of consumers. The business owners wanted their innovative product to remain marketed exclusively to beer drinkers. 

Robb and Osborne also had two offers on the table after their successful "Shark Tank" pitch. Greiner was willing to give the entrepreneurs the exact deal they asked for in the amount of $100,000 for 20% equity, but they went with Mark Cuban's offer.

While you may have a strong desire to keep your beer assortment as cold as possible, there's only so far a plastic insert can go in the retail market. One concern that was brought up by Robert Herjavec during Tom Osborne and Mike Robb's "Shark Tank" pitch was the fact that there was no diversification in product offerings. Even though Beer Blizzard may have been effective in keeping cans cold, it only worked for roughly 20 minutes before leveling off in temperature. The company's Kickstarter made more than $40,000, but many customer reviews included dissatisfaction or misplaced orders of the Beer Blizzard product and limited-time merchandise.

In the end, Beer Blizzard closed for business in 2018. The Beer Blizzard website remains inactive, and the company's last official post on Instagram was in January of 2018. No official statement of explanation has been released by the business owners. 

You probably won't find any more Beer Blizzard discs to cool those canned drinks, but you can still rely on koozies and ice to fulfill all your drink-chilling needs.