Igloo began in 1947 as a small metal working shop with two employees. The Company produced metal water coolers that were designed to replace traditional wooden buckets that provided drinking water for construction workers, oilfield workers and longshoremen on the docks.
Through a series of joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, Igloo Manufacturing produced and distributed three brands of metal water coolers, Horton's, Polar King and Igloo. The company's first ice chest, a 22-quart metal unit with plastic liner, was produced in 1960.
Early in 1960, the Company merged with Production Tooling Company and the John T. Everett Company, a Memphis, Tennessee firm, became the sales and marketing arm of the Company. The result was a name change to Texas Tennessee Industries (TTI).
In 1962, the Company went public and began selling its stock on the Over the Counter Market. By 1962, TTI had grown to 73 employees and in that same year they offered the first all-plastic ice chest. The Igloo all-plastic ice chest was offered as an alternative to metal coolers and were initially sold to beer manufacturers. In 1963, Oshman's Sporting Goods in Houston became the first retailer to buy the plastic ice chest and offer it to consumers.
The excellent reputation of the Igloo line made the "Igloo" name recognizable to consumers and retailers throughout the sales territory. In 1971, the TTI name was dropped in favor of Igloo Corporation as the company's new name. By the end of 1971, the employee population had grown to 433; and Igloo was sold to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York, Inc.
Today, Igloo remains the number-1 ice chest manufacturer worldwide; and we are excited about improving and enhancing our existing product line and developing new products to meet the needs of consumers.
