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.
A collection of vintage Stanley bottles at the New Britain Industrial Museum
Origins and the Stanley thermos (1913–1965)
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 served 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)
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)
In 2020, the company hired Terence Reilly, formerly of Crocs, as its president; sales of Quenchers rose 275% between 2020 and 2021.[17][16] In November 2024, Stanley announced its multi-year partnership with footballer, Lionel Messi that marks the first-ever collaboration between the company and a professionalathlete. The partnership will see Stanley offering a range of new products namely The Quencher ProTour Flip Straw Tumbler, High Precision Flow Mate System, Classic Mate Mug and Mate Bombilla.[18][19]
In 2020, Terence Reilly joined Stanley as its new president. Reilly engaged with Ashlee LeSueur, co-founder of Buy Guide, who had discovered the Quencher in 2017 at a Bed Bath & Beyond store. Impressed by the product, she became a supporter, gifting it to friends and recommending it to her followers, which resulted in increased interest.[20] As a result the company decided to continue production and released the quencher in more colors.[20][23] In 2020, the Quencher became the brand's top-selling product, a position it has retained ever since.[24][20] It is Stanley's most popular item among female customers. It has increased Stanley's annual sales from US$70 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023.[20][23]
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.[25][26]
On November 16, 2023, a TikToker by the name of Danielle Lettering posted a video of her burnt out Kia Sorento while her Stanley tumbler survived intact with ice still in it.[29][30] This caught the attention of Stanley's President Terence Reilly, who responded in a video offering to replace her Stanley tumbler and her car.[31] Subsequent to the viral video, sales skyrocketed in the end of 2023.[20]
Starbucks x Stanley Quencher
In December 2023, Stanley introduced a Valentine's Day-themed quencher, the Starbucks × Stanley Quencher, exclusively at Target stores in the United States. Some customers camped out at stores, while others were reportedly "nearly coming to blows or otherwise overrunning the store."[16][32]
In May 2024, the Sunset Gradient Starbucks x Stanley Quencher was introduced, which features bright metal gold and pink colors.[33][34]
Floral Stanley quenchers for Mother's Day 2024
For the 2024 Mother's Day, Stanley released tumbles in pink with a floral design.[35][36]
IceFlow Flip Straw Collection
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.[37] They come in 16, 24, 32, 50 and 96 ounce sizes.[38]
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.
Safety
Lead content
In January 2024, dozens of customers reported the presence of lead in their Stanley products after using at-home lead detection tests, leading to concerns about whether or not Stanley products were safe for use, particularly with children.[39][40][41] In a statement responding to these concerns, Stanley acknowledged that lead is used in the manufacturing process deep inside of the product however "once sealed, this area is covered with a durable stainless steel layer, making it inaccessible to consumers" adding that its product "meet all US regulatory requirements."[39] From February 2024 onwards, a series of class action lawsuits were directed at PMI (the maker of the Stanley cups) in state and federal courts, by customers who say there was no warning that the vacuum insulation of the products is made with lead.[42][43][44]
Burn injuries and product recall
In December 2024, Stanley initiated a product recall of 2.4 million cups after Stanley received 91 reports worldwide, including 16 in the US, of the travel mugs’ lids detaching during use, resulting in 38 burn injuries worldwide, including two burn injuries in the US with 11 consumers worldwide requiring medical attention.[45][46][47]
Trademark infringement
In February 2025, the American industrial tools and hardware manufacturer Stanley Black and Decker, filed a lawsuit against PMI, the maker of Stanley cups.[48][49] The lawsuit said that Stanley Black and Decker signed a contract in 1966 with Aladdin Industries who were the previous owners of Stanley cups, limiting the use of the "Stanley" name to "insulated containers adapted to keep their contents hot or cold."[50] After PMI became the owners in 2002, the lawsuit said that a further agreement was signed in 2012 following PMI's "repeated non-compliance" with the 1966 contract that required the cup maker to include its full corporate name along with the "Stanley" name and forbid the use of "Stanley" as a "company name, division or proper noun".[50][51]
The lawsuit claims that PMI has violated the agreement by using "Stanley" as a standalone name on products by not using the company name PMI on the products, while rebranding the company as Stanley 1913 on products and in advertising.[50] The lawsuit claims that Stanley Black & Decker has suffered reputational harm from "several waves of negative press" about alleged risks of lead poisoning, burn injuries and major product recalls from the sale and use of Stanley cups.[50][52]
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