‘Like a Lifetime Achievement Award’ Napa business owners to appear on Friday’s “Shark Tank” episode

Fans of the popular TV show “Shark Tank” will see some Napa representation when the co-founders of locally-based luggage company, FlyWithWine, walk through the big double doors to introduce their products to the sharks.

For co-founder Ryan Neergaard, who has been a long-time fan of “Shark Tank” since he started watching with his father and grandmother, being on the show is a dream come true.

While the two founders couldn’t go too much into detail about their experience on the show or auditioning before the episode airs later this week, Neergaard said each step of the process felt like watching the NFL playoffs each week.

“It felt like making the Super Bowl,” he said. “Ever since day one, when Ron and I started this company, I’ve just been like ‘man, this product has ‘Shark Tank’ written all over it.’”

The show features small-business owners who pitch their ideas before a panel of judges. The contestants hope to convince the panel of their business potential and ink contracts that could send their products into stratospheric success.

Neergaard and Ron Scharman launched their innovative wine-safe suitcase line in 2016 out of Napa. The two previously worked together at a wine marketing company before teaming up to create FlyWithWine, a collection of luggage with removable inserts meant to safely transport wine, beer, spirits and other glass bottles while traveling.

Scharman and his wife were in Europe and had to ship the wine they’d purchased abroad, risking the bottles being broken or lost.

The two worked with a designer in New Mexico to create the initial version of FlyWithWine: a piece of luggage with a hard casing and removable inserts that snugly store wine bottles.

The company has since sold over 50,000 suitcases and can be found in more than 500 tasting rooms as well as national retailers.

Reporting from USA TODAY found that the show receives between 35,000 to 40,000 applicants on average each season, some of whom reapply after previously being rejected.

The show had an average of 4.2 million people watching each episode of season 14 when it began airing in September, according to reporting from Forbes.

Products featured on “Shark Tank” have a success rate of just under 60%.

Scharman and Neergaard said just being on the show is a dream come true and look forward to seeing the impact the episode will have on the company’s brand awareness.

FlyWithWine will appear on “Shark Tank” this Friday on ABC TV at 5 p.m. and stream on Hulu the next day.

You can reach Staff Writer Sara Edwards at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat. com. On Twitter @sedwards380.