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Stanley (drinkware company)

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(Redirected from Stanley bottle)
For the ice hockey trophy, see Stanley Cup.

Stanley
Product typeDrinkware
OwnerHAVI
Produced byPacific Market International (PMI)
CountryUnited States
IntroducedJuly 8, 1915; 109 years ago (1915-07-08)
Previous owners
Websitewww.stanley1913.com

Stanley is a brand of food and beverage containers named after William Stanley Jr. who invented the first all-steel insulated vacuum bottle in 1913. The Stanley brand has since been produced by several companies and is currently owned by Pacific Market International (PMI), a subsidiary of the HAVI Group. Stanley is best known for its steel thermoses, and since 2020, for its Stanley Quencher line of tumblers, also known as Stanley cups.

History

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A collection of vintage Stanley bottles at the New Britain Industrial Museum
REI display for the limited-edition neon Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler — Limit 2 per customer

Origins and the Stanley thermos (1913–1965)

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On September 2, 1913, William Stanley Jr. patented the all-steel vacuum flask.[1] The idea came about as a result of his work with transformers, during which he discovered that a welding process he was using could be used to insulate a vacuum bottle with steel instead of glass.[2]

Stanley's new bottle was announced in The Berkshire Courier on July 8, 1915. Soon after, he established the Stanley Insulating Company in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and began mass production of the bottle under the Ferrostat, and later Supervac, labels. He acquired financial backing for the company from his friend William H. Walker, who severed as its president, while Stanley served as vice president. Walker would eventually take control of the entire company.[2]

In 1916, William Stanley died at the age of 57.[3] Walker died soon after in 1917.[4]

In 1921, the company was acquired by Landers, Frary & Clark of New Britain, Connecticut who manufactured Stanley's insulated bottles under its Universal trade name. The company continued to manufacture out of Great Barrington until 1933 when Landers, Frary & Clark consolidated operations with its New Britain factory.[2][5]

The Stanley thermos became known for its durability. It was the only all-steel thermos in production until the mid-1960s.[6] The United States army reportedly tested Stanley thermoses in World War I by dropping them out of airplanes and running them over with heavy equipment.[4] Stanley thermoses were carried by bomber pilots during World War II.[7][8][9]

Acquisitions and shift overseas (1965–2020)

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In 1965, the Stanley line was acquired by Aladdin Industries of Nashville, Tennessee.[10] In 1988, Aladdin outsourced the plastic molding assembly of Stanley thermoses to Brazil.[11]

In 2002, the Seattle-based Pacific Market International (PMI) acquired the Stanley and Aladdin retail and branding rights.[12] They expanded the brand to include other non-insulated products including barware and flasks.[13] PMI began manufacturing Stanley products in China.[4]

Stanley introduced the Adventure Quencher tumbler in 2016. The Quencher's early sales were not substantial, and the company stopped restocking and marketing it in 2019. After working with the Buy Guide, a women-run blog based in Utah, to sell 5,000 Quenchers, the company resumed production in an increasingly broad array of colors.[14] The product was the primary driver of Stanley's annual sales increasing from $70 million USD in 2019 to an estimated $750 million USD in 2023.[15] Since successful influencer marketing campaigns for the Quencher, Stanley has shifted its marketing to sell primarily to women.[16]

Rebranding and the "Stanley cup" (2020-present)

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In 2020, the company hired Terence Reilly, formerly of Crocs, as its president; sales of Quenchers rose 275% between 2020 and 2021.[17][16]

Products

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Quencher

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See also: Stanley Quencher

Released in 2016, the Stanley Quencher became popular as a result of influencer marketing campaigns on social media, particularly TikTok.[18][19] The sales started picking up in 2019.[15]

The Stanley Quencher is a vacuum insulated tumbler-style cup offered in 14, 20, 30, and 40 fluid ounce sizes. Features include a removable straw, vacuum insulation to hold the contents at a desired temperature for a longer period of time, and is offered in multiple color options, some limited by seasonal offerings. Many limited edition quenchers have been released to date including some in partnership with Starbucks that have quickly sold out.[20][21]

IceFlow Flip Straw Collection

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The Stanley IceFlow Flip Straw Collection is a collection of vacuum insulated drinkware that utilizes a flip-straw design that is integrated into the cap.[22] They come in 16, 24, 32, 50 and 96 ounce sizes.[23]

Other products

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In addition to the Quencher tumblers, Stanley also offers a handful of different vacuum insulated and non-vacuum insulated products including flasks, pint glasses, vacuum bottles, and other types of beverage containers. Stanley also offers outdoor coolers, lunchboxes, and camp cookware sets.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ US patent 1071817A, Stanley, William, "Heat-insulated receptacle", published 1912-08-05, issued 1913-09-02 
  2. ^ a b c Drew, Bernard A; Chapman, Gerard; Sass, Samuel (Fall 1985). "William Stanley Lighted a Town and Powered an Industry" (PDF). Berkshire History. 6 (1).
  3. ^ "William Stanley, 1858 - 1916". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Britton-Mehlisch, Meg (January 13, 2024). "Stanley cups have taken the internet by storm. The Berkshires can lay claim to the cup that started it all". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Onken, W. H., Jr. (March 12, 1921). "Stanley Insulating Company Changes Hands". Electrical World. 77 (11): 628.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Sexton, Richard (1987). American style: classic product design from Airstream to Zippo. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-87701-392-1.
  7. ^ Quick, Suzy (February 18, 2024). "Historical Treasure: Stanleys stand the test of time". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  8. ^ Freeman, Andrew (May 21, 2012). "The Most Influential Gear of All Time". Outside Online. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Goldstein, Li (May 26, 2023). "How Stanley, the Thermos for Tough Guys, Became the TikTok Obsession of Millennial Women". Bon Appétit. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Aladdin Industries Plans to Acquire Stanley Line of J.B. Williams Unit". The Wall Street Journal. May 25, 1965. p. 32.
  11. ^ Smith, Michal (April 1988). Aladdin's magic: the company's magic is no secret : communicating, sharing information are keys to success. Labor-management cooperation brief. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor-Management Relations and Cooperative Programs.
  12. ^ Keighley, Michael J. (February 2002). "Pacific Market International Acquires Aladdin & Stanley". The Gormet Retailer. 23 (2): 15.
  13. ^ "Who Invented Stanley Cups? Meet NIHF Inductee William Stanley Jr. | National Inventors Hall of Fame®". www.invent.org. July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  14. ^ Issawi, Danya (May 17, 2022). "The Sisterhood of the Stanley Tumbler". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Vega, Nicolas; Shamo, Lauren (December 23, 2023). "How a 40-ounce cup turned Stanley into a $750 million a year business". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Deb, Sopan (January 5, 2024). "Why People Are Camping Out at Target for the Valentine's Stanley Tumbler". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  17. ^ Geraldo, Renata (January 12, 2024). "Seattle-based Stanley rides the wave of water bottle, tumbler addiction". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 22, 2024. The legacy brand that sold its iconic green thermos to men for decades has recently pivoted to targeting women and younger generations through influencer marketing and product scarcity.
  18. ^ Warburton, Jena (May 11, 2024). "Stanley cups invent genius way to stay viral". TheStreet. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  19. ^ Walrath-Holdridge, Mary. "Stanley cups have people flooding stores and buying out shops. What made them so popular?". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  20. ^ "Starbucks' Pink Stanley Cups Won't Be Restocked After Causing Chaos at Target and Reselling for $200". ca.news.yahoo.com. January 5, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  21. ^ "The new pink Starbucks x Stanley cup is selling out fast, here's how to get yours". USA Today. January 9, 2014.
  22. ^ "Stanley's popular IceFlow Tumbler gets a spring update with debut of four new colors". 9to5toys.com. March 11, 2024.
  23. ^ Kaylee Remington, cleveland com (May 9, 2024). "Stanley drops IceFlow: Where to buy flip straw lid bottles". cleveland. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
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