Curt Peters is the founder of Chill Puck, an ice pack molded to match the bottom of all standard cans, chilling your beverage while you drink. Coors Light recently invested in the startup through its Kickstarter campaign and helped kick off a successful launch.
I put in YEARS of R&D solving this age-old question. Once I decided to put my money behind cold beer, I started prototyping Chill Pucks, creating ice cube molds out of the bottom of an empty can. From day one, I was using Coors Light cans because 1) that is what I had on hand and 2) I figured if the cold-activated indicators stayed blue, that was good enough for me. When it was time to start production, I turned to Kickstarter for funds.
My team and I worked tirelessly to promote our product to blogs, and it turns out we just needed to get the attention of someone else with a passion for cold beer. Coors Light made a pledge that not only validated the Chill Puck, but also gave us legs to stand on; we were able to build inventory, pay patent fees and operate. The biggest win for us came via Facebook. The power of social media and Coors Light’s dedicated fan base created a frenzy on Kickstarter, Facebook, and our website. We instantly added 1,000 “Likes” and saw a spike in sales. We’ve quickly burnt through the first 40K units, thanks in part to a Coors Light Ireland promotion live now, and we’ve ordered 75,000 more. The future is bright, including a massive potential order from MolsonCoors that would launch Chill Puck into orbit.
We have no business doing radio interviews or making it onto CNBC. We have no business inventing, engineering, designing, manufacturing, marketing, selling, distributing, and doing everything else that goes along with this, but we are. It’s the daunting ‘learn on the fly’ road all entrepreneurs travel, but most don’t have the help of MillerCoors. The smartest people know how little they actually know, which is why I’ve collected a great team. Nishan is the talent, Mike is the mad scientist, Gina & Al strategize, and Catherine keeps us afloat. My mission is to create a unique and remarkable experience for anyone who uses a Custom Coors Light, Molson Canadian, Miller Lite, or any other Chill Puck.
We thank you and we salute you, CHEERS!
