The fridge that’s redefining hosting at home

Hi Alyse and Sam! For those just discovering you, tell our readers about yourselves. How did the idea for a beautifully designed smart fridge first come to life?

Sam: Before Rocco, I was working at Away, and oddly enough, that job took me to a handful of fridge factories (don’t ask). While I was there, the factory managers mentioned that most appliance brands were essentially just swapping out handles and logos on wine fridges and calling them new. As someone who loves wine and always wanted a wine fridge of my own, this stuck with me. I had always wanted one myself but living in New York apartments, installing a built-in wine fridge in the kitchen wasn’t exactly an option. That’s when I started thinking: What if we designed one from the ground up, something that felt like furniture, and be the center of celebrations in the living room? I teamed up with an industrial designer in Milan, and the idea for Rocco started to take shape.

Alyse: When Sam first told me the idea, I thought it was genius. I had just finished renovating two homes in two years, and honestly, I couldn’t even tell you the brand names of the appliances I bought; they just weren’t memorable. That’s when it really clicked for me: there was an opportunity to create something in this space that people would actually care about and want to show off. The only catch? I hadn’t had wine, or any alcohol, in years. So the concept of an all-in-one drinks fridge was born, something for every kind of beverage and every kind of drinker because, as I like to say, no one just drinks wine anyways.

Rocco doesn’t feel like a tech product. It feels like something you’d be proud to display. What were you hoping people would feel when they interacted with it?

Alyse: We were hoping it would create a little moment of delight every day – a delightful break to grab a Spindrift in between meetings or a cocktail at the end of a long day. When you open a food fridge in the kitchen, it can be a bit chaotic. Leftovers, weird smells, wilted produce. Nothing is organized exactly the way you want and sometimes you even go in only to find the one thing you wanted isn’t there.

We designed Rocco to store your drinks away from the leftovers, ultra-satisfyingly organized, and our tech helps you make sure you never run out of your favorite drinks.

The brand feels sleek but also joyful. What does Rocco stand for, and how do you hope people connect with it beyond functionality?

Alyse: We like to say Rocco is a quality time machine. Quality time… machine. We hear from our customers a lot that they’re ordering the fridge for a special occasion (mostly in the form of “If my Rocco doesn’t arrive by my 4th of July BBQ, you can cancel my order!!!). We hope that it being in your living room inspires you to invite people over more often and it lowers the barrier to hosting. We don’t think hosting has to be a 3 course dinner. It could simply be a “come over!” text and a 6-pack of beer.

There’s a lot of smart tech packed into a very elegant package. What did you want to get right that traditional fridges get wrong?

Sam: Innovation in fridges thus far has meant putting a big ole screen on the front, even though we want fewer screens, not more. Having it play music even though everyone has a speaker, and other features we just don’t need. We’re intentionally trying to be thoughtful with how we build out the tech to make sure that it’s based on real problems we can solve – more soon!

The materials are also no joke. Why was durability and quality such a big priority for you from the start?

Sam: We believe buy nice, not twice. We knew it was possible, everyone talks about how their fridge from the 60s and 70s never died. We are trying to rediscover/revitalize these techniques. We want the world to have fewer, better products.

How do you approach new colorways and product drops? Do they start with an aesthetic idea, a cultural moment, or something else entirely?

Alyse: It’s different every time! In this case, you’d be surprised how many requests for orange we’ve gotten, and given that it’s the year the orange subway seats are being phased out, we thought it was the perfect time to pay tribute to a color we find nostalgic, as we’re headquartered in NYC.

Let’s talk about the Katz’s collab. An orange fridge inspired by subway seats, Knicks energy, and Dr. Brown’s soda. How did this very New York idea come to life?

Alyse: I am a born-and-raised New Yorker, and Sam’s called the city home for the past decade – so New York has always been in Rocco’s DNA. We couldn’t imagine launching the brand anywhere else, and it felt right to pay tribute to the place that shaped so much of our vision.

What made Katz’s the right partner for this drop, and how did that conversation get started?

Alyse: We reached out, and at the same time as we were formalizing our launch, they were working on bringing Dr. Brown’s nationwide via their delivery service. We loved being able to be part of bringing Dr. Brown’s outside of the tristate area and including a little low-key lunch party kit for 6 for our customers, since we like to inspire everyone to redefine what hosting can mean.

You’re also hosting an in-person event at Katz’s with a special guest from @OldJewishMen. What role does community play in your launch moments?

Alyse: Community is everything to us (hosting and bringing people together has been part of our ethos from the start). When we set out to design the orange fridge in partnership with Katz’s, it was about creating something that felt like a true New York original. Katz’s is an institution that’s brought people together for generations, and we wanted this launch to feel the same way: fun, familiar, and local. That’s why we worked with a local NYC creative/videographer, Jeremy Cohen and are hosting at Katz’s, with a little help from our friends at @OldJewishMen, because who better to help us celebrate an icon of New York than other icons of New York? These moments aren’t just about a fridge; they’re about building a world around it, a sense of place, personality, and belonging (even beyond your living room).

You’ve said Rocco is built for hosting. What does modern hosting mean to you, and how do you want your product to support that?

Alyse: We want to make hosting easier, and we want people to celebrate more things at home that they wouldn’t normally because Rocco makes it that much easier. Weddings, baby showers usually take place outside of the home. And then there’s all the things that don’t get celebrated – new job, divorce, egg freezing, buying a home… to Airbnb it. We want to inspire people to invite people over more often and celebrate the milestones in their lives that get overlooked. They have a fridge full of drinks, the shelves are designed to fit Champagne, what more do you need?!

Last month, we were thrilled to see you on Shark Tank. Can you give us a little insight into your experience and any words of wisdom for founders hoping to take a similar route?

Sam: As two people who have worked in startups for most of our careers, this one was a real bucket list moment for us, but it’s just as intense as it looks. Even more so! We were up on the stage for 45 minutes but once it was over, it felt like 2. The preparation took months – we spent so much time refining our pitch, anticipating every possible question, and stress-testing our numbers. That pressure actually made us better founders. Even if you never step foot on that stage, that level of prep is worth doing for your business.

We wouldn’t be Thingtesting if we didn’t ask. What brands would you love to see next to Rocco in someone’s home?

Alyse: We made this meme that went a tiny bit viral and I think it says it all:

With this drop, you’re tapping into nostalgia, culture, and community in a big way. What’s next for Rocco? More collabs, new categories, or different kinds of fridges?

Alyse: More colors, more products, showing up in more places!

How do you hope Rocco evolves over the next few years, and what kind of role do you want it to play in people’s everyday lives?

Sam: We want Rocco to be a tool for connection – the fridge that makes your place the place. Always stocked with your favorites, and always helping you discover some new ones along the way.

Learn more about Rocco