A Summerland-based winery, producing dealcoholized wines, got a national spotlight and a million dollars infused into the business after appearing on the Dragon’s Den tv show.
Chris Pagliocchini and Tyler Harlton of Ones winery offered an investment of $900,000 for a 10 per cent share of their business.
Manjit Minhas, who is part of Canada’s beverage industry, countered the Ones proposal with a bid of $1 million for 15 per cent of the business, which they accepted.
The epsiode aired in early February on CBC.
Ones produces wine made from Canadian grapes and then removes the alcohol to create a sugar-free, non-alcoholic wine.
The winery began in 2022 and had sales of around $3.6 million in 2025, Harlton said.
The wines are sold direct to consumer and through more than 550 retailers, including in Ontario and Quebec.
The Canadian Dragon’s Den television show, aired on CBC, is a platform for entrepreneurs to pitch business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists.
In an interview with the Summerland Review, Harlton said the winery is addressing a demand in the market and making non-alcoholic wines without added sugar or juice.
“There are a lot of reasons people are choosing non-alcoholic wines,” he said. Some do not drink but want the wine experience. Others are looking for options without sugar added.
The winery is the first in Canada to produce non-alcoholic wines.
Some consumers have said it is hard for them to tell the difference between the wines from Ones and other wines on the markets. Others have said the taste is lighter than the wines they have had before.
Harlton and Pagliocchini both have extensive knowledge in winemaking and agriculture that they’ve brought to the venture.
From 2011 to 2019, Harlton owned and operated TH Wines in Summerland. Pagliocchini has a background as an agricultural scientist, having worked at the Summerland Research and Development Center.
During the episode of Dragon’s Den, some of the venture capitalists on the show’s panel urged the duo to promote the Canadian connection in the way they market the wine. This includes adding a Canadian flag to the label.
“We’re a Canadian brand and we’re talking about it,” Harlton said.
The business is valued at $6.7 million, he said.
The investment from Minhas will go to marketing and distribution, and also to research and development for the winery.