Why the name eto?
It’s a nod to Tom’s proud Welsh roots. eto means ‘again’ in Welsh, which perfectly sums up the joy of being able to enjoy a bottle of great wine – again and again.
The designer
Tom Cotton is an award-winning British designer and inventor, who’s spent over 20 years bringing products from concept to market. He’s also a wine lover and passionate about protecting the environment. Back in 2011, Tom became interested in designing a product that would reduce wine wastage:
It’s a huge environmental problem. In the UK alone, government figures estimate that 50 million litres of wine are poured down the sink annually – that’s 6.6 million bottles.
Tom realised that the wine preservation products on the market either didn’t work or were hugely expensive.
“My inspiration for eto came after a friend highlighted the method - common amongst wine experts - of transferring leftover wine into a smaller container to minimise the air contact. So some kind of carafe that displaced the air was my starting point. But the eureka moment came when sketching a design that made decanting and pouring easy and was also elegant enough for the table.”