2025 · FOUNDER, LEAD DESIGNER
Plinth Press Base
A sturdy, mobile base for basket presses. I led this product from concept through launch, coordinating hardware engineering, manufacturing, and go-to-market strategy.
Quick Facts
Timeline · 18 months
Role · Founder, Lead Designer
Manufacturing · 5 partners across the US
Opportunity
When Improvisation Becomes Dangerous Home winemakers elevated their basket presses for better juice collection into standard buckets. DIY solutions, like mounting to folding tables, or tree stumps are too much hassle, immobile, and can be dangerous.
What's Broken:
No purpose-built stands for home winemaking scale
Makeshift solutions compromise safety and efficiency
Presses can't move once loaded with grapes
Wrong height = spilled juice and wasted batches
Cleanup means complete teardown every time
The Opportunity: Design a mobile press stand with precise bucket alignment, commercial-grade stability, and effortless cleanup - transforming the most physically demanding part of winemaking into a controlled, efficient process.
Brief
Functionality - A press base needed to be mobile when needed but stable and secure when pressing
Low-Volume Manufacturing - The realities of small batch manufacturing meant careful coordination of material choice, manufacturing methods, and design
Aesthetics - The Plinth Press Base expands the visual vocabulary of hobbyist tools, elevating the experience
Functionality
Solving Contradictions Plinth needed to be effortlessly mobile and absolutely immovable. These requirements directly contradict each other.
Height + Mobility Engineering:
Calculated optimal elevation for basket press + 5-gallon bucket pairing
Designed base geometry to minimize footprint while maximizing stability
Created a mounting solution that works across different bucket and press brands
Tested and selected high-strength caster wheels with a single-button lock for both rolling and swivel
The Result: Instant transition from mobile to rock-solid with a single foot press. Perfect juice flow into buckets, not onto floors.
Low-Volume Manufacturing
Making It Real Premium quality at accessible pricing required strategic manufacturing decisions from the start.
Material Strategy:
Powder-coated steel: corrosion-resistant and durable
Standard gauge materials available from local suppliers
Component selection from industrial catalogs (casters, hardware)
Production Approach:
Designed around sheet metal fabrication capabilities
Created flat-pack potential for efficient shipping
Avoided custom tooling throughout
Partnered with local manufacturers for quality control and iteration
Design for Manufacturing:
Simplified part count without compromising performance
Used standard hole patterns and fastener sizes
Designed tolerances that balance precision with practical fabrication
Created assembly sequence that works at both prototype and production scale
Built in serviceability: replaceable casters, accessible hardware
The Balance: Engineering excellence within the constraints of small-batch production economics.
Aesthetics
Beyond Utility Home winemaking deserved equipment that matched the sophistication of the craft. Plinth rejects the "good enough" aesthetic of typical hobby tools.
Visual Strategy:
Refined geometry and proportions vs. crude industrial forms
Thoughtful material expression: premium powder coat, quality welds
Structural honesty - framework celebrates its engineering
Compact, intentional presence in the cellar
Details that communicate care: smooth edges, considered joints
Breaking Convention:
Most hobby equipment prioritizes cheap over considered
Industrial tools ignore residential contexts
DIY solutions embrace improvisation aesthetically
Plinth positions home winemaking as serious craft deserving serious tools
The Statement: Equipment can be both functionally excellent and visually refined. Great design makes tools you're proud to own and use, not just tolerate.
Outcome
Engineering Meets Craft Plinth redefined what home winemaking equipment could be. Launching February 2026, patent filed November 2024.
Core Innovations:
Precision height for perfect bucket alignment
One-press stability system for 250+ lb loads
Low-volume manufacturing strategy delivering premium quality
Aesthetic refinement that elevates craft tools beyond utility
Lifetime warranty backing generational design
Design Contribution: Established that serious craft deserves serious tools - not industrial equipment scaled down, but purpose-built infrastructure designed for home winemakers. Plinth makes professional-quality pressing accessible while respecting both the craft and the maker's space.
