ThermoFlask stainless steel straw bottles and tumblers were designed with on-the-go adventure, travel and the outdoors in mind.
photos courtesy of takeya usa
Sustainable sipping
Takeya USA strives to create a better bottle for a better future
by KATIE COLEMAN
Like so many companies, Takeya USA started out as a question. On a particularly hot summer day back in 2007, two friends and entrepreneurs, John Lown and Hiroshi Taketani, mused about how they could never find a water bottle to fit their needs. Bottles were either difficult to drink from and keep clean, didn’t keep water cool enough or often leaked. That’s when the pair, along with their friend Ken Tran, challenged one another with a simple question: “Can we make a better bottle?” The answer, the friends found—or rather, founded—was Takeya USA.
Family legacy
The business builds upon a 65-year legacy of Japanese innovation and design from its parent company, Takeya. Founded by Taketani’s father in 1961, the company is known worldwide for its expertise and high-quality standards and practices in plastics manufacturing. “In fact, for decades, Takeya Japan has made the plastic parts and components for companies like Nintendo,” explains Lisa Nagamoto, Takeya USA’s director of product marketing. “So, with Lown and Taketani’s 30 years of manufacturing experience at other companies like Snapware, it was a natural fit to bring Takeya USA into the fold.”
That first year, Takeya USA started creating tea makers, glass bottles and pitchers, and by 2015 stainless steel ThermoFlask bottles were added to the product lineup.
Building a better bottle
While reusable water bottles aren’t a new trend, Tran, Takeya USA’s president and CEO, says the company sets itself—and its ThermoFlask brand—apart from the pack in other ways. “Over the years we’ve evolved the ThermoFlask bottle for a better user experience,” he says. “We’ve made incremental and thoughtful changes that consumers might not even notice at first. For instance, you can now fit four fingers in the ergonomic loop handle of our 40-ounce steel bottles, which makes it easier to hold, pick up and carry. We’re proud of our double-coated powder coating on the outside of our bottles, which gives them durability, resistance to peeling in the dishwasher and the vibrant colors that we’re known for.”
Tran says another thing that sets their bottle apart is its interchangeable and leakproof lid, which allows people to grab any ThermoFlask bottle and any ThermoFlask lid and have it fit: “Being able to grab a lid and have it fit onto every single one of your bottles is a huge, yet overlooked, advantage in convenience and storage.”
Nagamoto adds that other improvements include things like bumpers for their 32-ounce tumblers that allow a quiet sit-down and prevent dings when the bottle is dropped.
Sustainable stewardship
“Reusable bottles are one way to make a meaningful contribution to reducing one’s carbon footprint, and we’ve found that [Costco] members really care about replacing single-use plastics with reusable bottles,” says George Gelfer, executive vice president of consumer sales and business development at Takeya USA.
In fact, company data shows it’s helped prevent billions of single-use plastics from littering the planet based on bottle sales alone.
Tran says, “Offering a great product that helps Costco members and our world is not only a positive and honorable business model, but it gives us the confidence that we’re truly capable of contributing something real and tangible for the health of our planet.”
Color coordinated
While a great deal of attention goes into the engineering and creation of ThermoFlask bottles, just as much focus is placed on their appearance. “We work with global expert trend forecasters to make sure we choose the right colors each season,” says Lisa Nagamoto, Takeya USA’s director of product marketing. “Using their data science, we’re able to see what trends to stay on top of. We then bring color choices to Costco buyers and work with them on finding the right ones for members.”—KC
COMPANY INFO
- Name Takeya USA
- Founders John Lown, Hiroshi Taketani and Ken Tran
- Employees 100-plus
- Headquarters Costa Mesa, California
- Items carried at Costco ThermoFlask 32-Ounce Stainless Steel Straw Tumbler 2-Pack (Item 1630838); ThermoFlask 40-Ounce Stainless Steel Straw Bottle with Spout Lid 2-Pack (Item 1630837). Warehouses/Costco.com.
- Quote about Costco “We feel Takeya USA and Costco both strive to offer unparalleled excellence, amazing value and the best possible consumer experience.”—Ken Tran, president and CEO
