It was a quiet evening during Christmas break in Newton. Brock Mammoser was home from Indiana University for the holidays. He was hanging out with his brother Mitch in their parents’ hot tub when the conversation turned to business ideas.
At the time, hard seltzers like White Claw and Truly were exploding in popularity. Mitch wondered if anyone made an insulated cooler specifically for the slim cans they came in. A quick online search revealed very few options.
“So, we thought, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’” says Mitch, who is a member of Norris Electric Cooperative.
The brothers built a website, learned how to advertise online, and divided their responsibilities. Brock focused on growing the business, while Mitch handled shipping and customer service.
For three months, they sold their slim-can coolers. Then they realized something — the product wasn’t solving the real problem. Like many people, they owned several different insulated can coolers. One fit a regular soda can. Another fit a slim energy drink. Yet another fit bottled beverages. Instead of making another cooler for another style of drink, why not create one insulated cooler that could fit nearly every can or bottle someone might carry?
The brothers went back to work, redesigning the product from the ground up. The result became one of Frost Buddy’s signature products — the Universal Buddy — a drink holder versatile enough to fit a variety of beverages.
Brock took their new product to TikTok. His video went viral, getting around 20 million views in just a couple of days. “That really escalated things, for sure,” Mitch says. Within four months on the market, Frost Buddy became the No. 3 thermocooler on Amazon.
The purpose behind all of their products is to keep drinks cold (or hot) while preventing can condensation. While the Universal Buddy was accomplishing that with its variety of compatible containers, the innovators also realized that drinks in cups needed the same help.
Thus, the To-Go Buddy came to be. Just like its universal counterpart, it fits a variety of cup sizes, while also fitting into a standard car cupholder.
Frost Buddy products are primarily sold online, but they are available in several retailers, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Academy Sports, TJ Maxx, Buc-ee’s and Scheels. And, although Frost Buddy has gone nationwide, its roots still reside in Illinois. The company’s warehouse in Effingham has a large presence in the community.
Mitch says plenty of people ask him, “Are you guys still messing around with that cup business?” as he sees more of their products in the community. He credits their customer service team for a lot of their success. “I still am a huge believer that we as people need that human connection, and that is not going away,” he adds.
“People always ask us, ‘Did you ever think you would grow to this?’” Mitch says. “No. It really is just having an idea, jumping with it, solving one problem after another, and knowing that you wake up and your day is literally solving issues and challenges, and seeing where it goes.”
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To learn more or to order your own Frost Buddy, go to frostbuddy.com.
Photos courtesy of Frost Buddy
