8 Cooler Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Cooler Business

Some beverages taste better when served chilled or cooler than the room temperature. Thus, most people invest in a cooler.

To start a cooler business, first, decide the niche, A drinks cooler can be a portable container or installed on-premises. Then, define the target market and research their pain points. A cooler business can focus on brewers, retail shops, or end consumers.

Regardless of the target customers, you must ensure a unique product design and quality materials to attract customers and beat the competition.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a cooler business:

1. BrüMate ($144M/year)

  • Dylan Jacob, founder of BruMate, came up with the idea for his unique insulated drinkware brand after a frustrating search for a koozie that worked with his can of choice.
  • He launched his first product line in November 2016 and has since experienced impressive growth (with over $1.1 million in monthly sales)
  • Jacob's ability to pivot and adapt his business strategy has been key to his success.

How much they make: $144M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 57

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I Grew A Drinkware Brand To $1.1M/Month At 23 Years Old

BruMate is a successful insulated drinkware brand focused on the adult beverage community, with a flagship product that generated $2.1M in sales in 2017 and is now doing over $1.1M per month in sales, with plans to do $20M this year.

About
Dylan started BrüMate over 8 years ago
Revenue
Dylan grew the business to $12M/month
Skills
Design Skills
Costs
It cost Dylan $5000 to start the business
Read by 101,688 founders

2. COOLERSbyU ($300K/year)

Garrett Barretta came up with the idea for COOLERSbyU after witnessing the laborious process of preparing coolers for painting during his college years. He saw the need for an easier way to paint coolers and after conducting research and receiving support from the CEO of Jansy Packaging, he launched his business. In just four years, COOLERSbyU has grown from earning a few thousand dollars per month to an impressive average of over $25k per month.

How much they make: $300K/year
How much did it cost to start: $40K
Current team size: 0

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How I Started A $25K/Month Paintable Coolers Business While Having A Full Time Job

How a recent college graduate started COOLERSbyU, a paintable cooler and accessories business geared towards Greek life and DIY crafting, growing from a few thousand dollars to an average of over $25k per month in just four years through mostly organic growth and a focus on SEO.

Revenue
Garrett grew the business to $25K/month
Costs
It cost Garrett $40000 to start the business
Read by 9,379 founders

So... can you actually make money with a cooler business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

5. BrüMate

Say goodbye to warm alcohol forever. Shop our collection of can coolers and insulated tumblers designed to keep your drinks the perfect temperature while you’re on the go.

How much they make: $144M/year
Where they're located: Denver, Colorado, USA
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 57
Website traffic: 990K/month

article

I Grew A Drinkware Brand To $1.1M/Month At 23 Years Old

BruMate is a successful insulated drinkware brand focused on the adult beverage community, with a flagship product that generated $2.1M in sales in 2017 and is now doing over $1.1M per month in sales, with plans to do $20M this year.

About
Dylan started BrüMate over 8 years ago
Revenue
Dylan grew the business to $12M/month
Skills
Design Skills
Costs
It cost Dylan $5000 to start the business
Read by 101,688 founders

So... can you actually make money with a cooler business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

7. Noctua.at

Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality.

Website traffic: 670K/month

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8. KPS Global®

We are the industry-leading manufacturer of insulated panel systems, supplier of aftermarket parts/replacement equipment and provider of installation services.

Where they're located: Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Current team size: 500

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