Fishing Towards Fruition

What started as two brothers from Texas, with a passion for fishing and the outdoors who couldn’t

always keep their possessions fresh and secure, turned into a multimillion dollar company that we now adore. Back in 2006 when the idea was created, Roy and Ryan Seiders had no idea that their idea would lead them to the beast of a company they have today, fittingly titled ‘YETI’. Where did the brilliant name come from? It stemmed from endless nights of contemplating what to call the perfect cooler, which resulted in the bold and beloved staple of ice retentive products, “YETI: The Ice Monster”.

Growing up with a father who was eager to create entrepreneurs like himself, the Seiders brothers were set up for success. They were taught from an early age how to create and build things and were constantly surrounded by people with innovative minds. They went to numerous trade shows where they were exposed to small businesses that wanted to make their own ideas known, and the boys were hooked.

While ‘YETI’ is the brothers’ most well known brand, this wasn’t their first rodeo. Like every other great inventor, the Seiders brothers endured the frustration of failing to truly having their products prosper. Post grad, Ryan(Texas A&M) created a custom fishing rod company and Roy(Texas Tech) created a company for customized aluminum boats that were specifically designed to pursue red fish in the Gulf of Mexico. However, when neither company really set sail, the brothers decided upon their new idea to create the perfect cooler. When this idea ceased to rest in the minds of both brothers, the two decided to travel all the way to Thailand in search of elements that could make their dream of the paramount cooler a reality.

Returning from Thailand, the brothers were set on success and knew just how to create the ultimate cooler. Using a process called ‘biaxial rotomolding’ which is used for products like kayaks and automobiles, the extreme ‘YETI’ cooler was constructed. However, once their product was built, the price they’d have to sell it for in order to make a profit was just too high and the brothers had to settle for trying to find success in trade shows.

Once they were discovered by Scales Advertising in 2012, the brand really took off. In fact it was becoming too much for just the brothers to handle alone which is when the Cortec Group became involved. At this point, the Seiders brothers sold a large portion of the company to the private equity firm to help manage the flourishing franchise. With this sale, the company continued to grow and thrive but this was only the beginning.

In 2014, ‘YETI’ products branched out to the highly acclaimed company known as REI where their products became admired as well. In fact, ‘YETI’ became so idolized that REI was afraid they wouldn’t be able to keep enough coolers in stock! Now, the brothers were thinking bigger and created new products like the ‘20-30oz Rambler Tumblers (Feb. 2014)’, ‘The Hopper (July 2014)’, ‘The Colster (March 2015)’, ‘10 oz Rambler Lowball (October 2015)’, ‘18, 36, 64oz Ramblers (Jan. 2016)’, and ‘Hopper Flip 12 (July 2016)’. They even filmed their first survival documentary titled “Charged” in May of 2016.

Their mission as stated on their website is to ‘build the cooler we’d use every day if it existed. One that was built for the serious outdoor enthusiast rather than for the mass-discount retailers. One that could take the abuse we knew we’d put it through out in the field and on the water. One that simply wouldn’t break’. Today as we look around and see ‘YETI’ products essentially everywhere we go, in a variety of environments, it’s safe to say the hard-working brothers have fulfilled their mission.

If they could do it, you can too! The opportunities are endless and you never know where your next idea could take you.

Sources:

https://www.inc.com/magazine/201602/bill-saporito/yeti-coolers-founders-roy-ryan-seiders.html

http://www.rrtech.com/rotomolding-products/

https://www.yeti.com/en_US/our-story.html

https://www.mensjournal.com/gear/a-brief-history-of-yeti-coolers-w439180/

#Inventors #YETI #StoryofYETI