Cleve Crudgington and his wife Gloria gathered every Saturday afternoon in their courtyard to drink sparkling wine with friends. Soon however, Cleve, as well as the other champagne enthusiasts, noticed that Gloria became fearful whenever a bottle was opened. After two or three meetings of the "Korbel Club," Gloria's apprehension seemed to build and was severely limiting her enjoyment of the bubbly experience.

Finally Gloria revealed that she had an unusual fear of champagne corks due to an unfortunate incident during her childhood that had left a lasting impression. She recounted that for a major wedding anniversary her uncle had purchased a bottle of excellent champagne to toast his dear wife, and not being a connoisseur, had no idea how to open it. Tragically, he looked directly over the cork as he was twisting it from the bottle, and was killed instantly when the popping cork struck him in the face.

And so the Champagne Opener was invented. Within days of conceiving the idea, Cleve contacted a friend who made a quick prototype just to see if the idea would work. Once satisfied, it was time to build a top quality prototype one that could be used as a guide for production. Cleve contacted a local craftsman who, with German precision, machined a sturdy device out of two blocks of steel. By then Cleve was confident that a worthy and marketable product could be produced, one that people would enjoy and appreciate using.

That was in 1986.

Since then, reputation of The Champagne Opener has spread mostly by word of mouth and sales representatives. Major chains and thousands of independent gourmet kitchen and better wine stores have carried The Champagne Opener over the years. To this day, Cleve Crudgington, along with his wife Gloria, continue to operate the family owned business in their hometown, Monrovia, California.