Koolio Inc. Looks to Football Season for Business Boom
by January 19, 2015 12:00 am 475 views
A few years ago, while on a beach vacation, husband-and-wife team Marc and Barbara French came up with the idea for a koozie that uses a freezable gel pack to keep canned and bottled drinks colder.
The two searched online to see if any such product existed, and when they found none, decided to invent one themselves.
- They founded Koolio Inc. in 2011, and have used their own money, along with their expertise in merchandising — both are former buyers for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and have also worked for product companies — to create Koolio, which they call a “premium personal beverage cooler.”
The patent-pending unit consists of an injection-molded base with silicone grip and twist-off lid, and each comes with two interchangeable, freezable gel packs.
As veterans of merchandising, the two wanted to get the design right, and that entailed about 30 prototypes before they landed on the current product, Marc French said.
Koolio has three trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, including the product name, logo and the slogan: “Now that’s cold!”
All components have been independently tested and confirmed to be BPA-free, French said.
Koolio has also been tested by an independent lab to prove it keeps drinks colder than other koozies.
In addition to solid-color units, Koolio now has the licenses for eight universities, including the University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, Kansas State University, and Baylor University; 24 fraternities and sororities; and high schools throughout the state, including the Bentonville Tigers, Rogers Mountaineers, Heritage War Eagles, Springdale Bulldogs and the Har-Ber Wildcats.
Online, the products are available at Koolio.com and Amazon.com.
In stores, they are available at local boutiques Lifestyles by Steve, Campus Bookstore, Southern Trend, Bleachers, That’s Greek to Me, and Country Outfitter.
Koolio also makes promotional products for businesses, providing about 300 drink coolers inscribed with the Walmart logo for the Walmart Shareholders Meeting last year.
In 2015, Koolio is looking to expand and expects a big uptick in business volume during the first college football season with the team licenses in place.