We love working with brands that are redefining everyday experiences through thoughtful, user-led design. That’s why we’re thrilled to celebrate Huski, who has just been awarded a prestigious Red Dot Design Award for Product Design 2025 for their Champagne Cooler.
The award is a recognition of Huski’s design vision: The world’s best Champagne Cooler – a cooler that keeps sparkling wine chilled without ice, eliminates condensation, and adds a clever twist with the integrated BubbleLock Bottle Stopper. It’s a product born from customer insight and refined through an obsessive attention to both form and function.
As Huski’s design partner, Blender worked closely on every stage of the Champagne Cooler’s development, from early prototyping through to engineering and production. The result is a product that not only looks beautiful on the table but works brilliantly in real life.
In this blog, we sit down with Huski founder, Simon Huesser, to talk about the inspiration behind the Champagne Cooler, the process of bringing it to life, and what this international recognition means for the Huski team and their customers.
Taking a cool design and making it sparkle
Behind every great product is a story, not just of how it’s made, but why it exists in the first place. For Huski, the Huski Champagne Cooler was a natural evolution. Building on the success of their Huski Wine Cooler, it responded to a growing chorus of customer feedback asking for something made specifically for bubbles.
But designing for sparkling wine introduced 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.
Customer feedback gave the team a clear direction, but refining the concept meant going beyond bottle size. From the outset, both Huski and Blender were focused on the full experience: not just keeping sparkling wine cold, but making the product a pleasure to use, and to gift to others. That meant researching bottle variations, testing with real users, and thinking about how every detail, including the packaging, could enhance both performance and perception.
Together with Blender, the Huski team reimagined the cooler from the ground up. The result is a product that delivers exceptional thermal performance, accommodates a wide range of bottle types, and elevates the experience from first pour to final toast.
Just as importantly, it had to feel special, not only for personal use but as a standout gift. From the detailing to the unboxing, the Champagne Cooler was crafted to surprise, delight, and perform.
A small addition that makes a big difference
One of the standout features of the Huski Champagne Cooler, and a key reason it caught the attention of the Red Dot jury, is the BubbleLock Bottle Stopper.
Cleverly stored in the base of the cooler, it’s a small detail that solves a big problem: how to keep sparkling wine bubbly once opened.
“When we started designing the Champagne Cooler, we asked ourselves, what’s different about sparkling wine?” says Simon. “The obvious answer was the bubbles. So instead of just resizing the Wine Cooler, we looked for ways to make the experience significantly better for sparkling.”
That line of thinking led to extensive research and testing to better understand the full user experience. The team evaluated countless bottle shapes and closure types to create a stopper that would work across most major Champagne and Prosecco brands, while still being easy to use and seamlessly integrated.
“The solution isn’t complex,” Simon explains, “but it’s thoughtful. And because the stopper lives in the base of the cooler, it’s always on hand when you need it, not lost in a drawer somewhere.”
It’s exactly the kind of detail that turns a well-liked product into a much-loved one. The BubbleLock feature reflects the level of care and attention to detail behind every aspect of the cooler, from how it functions and stores to how it looks and feels.
That level of care comes from a shared approach between Huski and Blender. “Blender and ourselves are both users of the products, so we care about the user experience because it’s our experience,” says Simon.
“We want a great experience because we use these ourselves, and we gift them to others,” says Simon. “That mindset carries through the entire process, and Blender gets that. They’re incredibly strong on materials, mechanical design, and making sure everything works as intended.”
Why awards like Red Dot matter
For Huski, entering the Red Dot Awards wasn’t just about chasing accolades; it was a way to communicate the quality of their design to a global audience.
“Most people aren’t out shopping for a champagne cooler,” says Simon. “So, when they come across one, especially online, we need to show that it’s a well-designed, high-performing product. Awards like Red Dot help do that.”
The Red Dot is one of the most respected design recognitions in the world, and for good reason. It celebrates products that blend innovation, usability, and outstanding execution. For customers, it signals trust. For the Huski team, it’s validation of the care and thought that went into every detail.
Of course, the recognition also reflects the broader effort behind the product, from Blender’s design and engineering input to the customer feedback that helped shape its direction.
“It’s a collective award that recognises a great product,” says Simon. “There’s no one person or company who can claim it – it’s shared across the people who helped make it happen.”
Raising a glass to great design
The Huski Champagne Cooler is more than an award-winning product. It’s proof of what’s possible when real-world insight, thoughtful engineering, and purposeful design come together.
Every detail, from concept to unboxing, has been shaped by collaboration, tested through use, and refined with care. It’s a product that doesn’t just meet expectations, it quietly, confidently exceeds them.
The Red Dot Design Award is a proud milestone for Huski, and Blender is honoured to have supported its journey from idea to icon.
Here’s to the people who use it, the teams who built it, and the belief that great design should always put people first, one chilled glass of bubbles at a time.
