YETI was founded in 2006 by two brothers, Roy and Ryan Seiders, who were raised with a burning passion for the great outdoors and unfamiliar territory. Inspired by their teacher-turned-entrepreneur father who took them hunting, fishing, and traveling, they would spend their formative years doing just this, however one constant thing became a frustration amongst their good times – the Yeti coolers they took with them.
Unconvinced by their build quality, they often found the handles would come loose, the latches would break, and at worst, the lids would fail altogether. Knowing that there would be people in the exact same predicament as them, they said they would never put up with substandard coolers ever again, setting on a mission to build the best ice chests that the world had ever seen.
Not just limited to hunters, the appeal to outdoor enthusiasts and beach lovers alike soon became apparent. Since it does not really matter what you put inside of your cooler, only that it keeps things cold and safe for as long as possible, strength and insulation were identified as the gateway to success.
After much research and development, YETI set their cooler on the ultimate strength test – a bear. Rolling Stone magazine documented the occasion, saying “YETI had an actual real-life Bear try to open and destroy the Tundra cooler, and a 500-pound man, with neither succeeding. A virtually indestructible build”. As for keeping the contents cold, their coolers make use of Permafrost insulation – a special type of pressure-injected commercial-grade polyurethane foam, that allows for unmatched insulation power.
With Roy & Ryan having resoundingly met both of their initial benchmarks shared with like-minded adventure enthusiasts, it’s no wonder that YETI has established itself as the market leader within the world of portable coolers.
