If you are currently drinking out of an insulated thermos, mug, or tumbler with your college or favorite brand's insignia on it, there is a really good chance ThermoServ made it. Founded in Minnesota in 1956 and first producing a black and gold thermal coffee carafe still found in restaurants throughout the country, the company soon introduced insulated plastic mugs, steins, tumblers, and non-thermal drinkware products. Now based in Dallas, TX, ThermoServ continues to offer one of the largest lines of insulated mugs, tumblers and thermoses in the United States. In the past decade, the manufacturer has expanded further by acquiring multiple product lines, including purchasing the plastic division of Aladdin Industries in 2002, as well as the acquisitions of MugWorld in 2010 and PolySub in 2011.

According to Jon Hock, sales director of Coffee, Food Service and Amusements markets for ThermoServ, the fact that the company continues to expand and makes products locally is very important. "We have a really wide variety of products," Hock says. "It's a growing company, and with the combined history of all our companies, we have over 80 years of stable American manufacturing. We emphasize the fact that we're American-made, which is definitely a selling point for us, as well as a point of pride."

ThermoServ offers an extensive line of mugs and tumblers geared towards six different markets: coffee, collegiate, convenience, promotional, retail, and health care. The products for each market are similar; the major difference are the colors, sizes, and artwork used to create the final product. The drinkware is manufactured in ThermoSev's Dallas facility, where the company has molding machines, printing presses and welding machines that assemble the mugs and tumblers. Each customer is handled on an individual basis, with pricing and delivery times determined by volume and the products ordered, and a minimum order size that varies by both customer and market.

"It's a very diverse company," Hock says.  "Anything that requires insulated beverage wares, we're there. Our foam-insulated deluxe travel mugs are extremely popular. We have the best functioning products in the industry, and the deluxe travel mugs are one of our best sellers. But we have many other products that sell in the millions."

Each of the company's product lines distributes to a distinct market. The collegiate division features licensed products with hundreds of college and university logos, sold to various bookstores, gift shops, and retailers in college towns. The coffee line is sold to everyone from Starbucks to the local mocha shop down the street, offering tumblers, stainless steel and insulated mugs in various styles and sizes. The health care line features mugs that are used in a hospital environment, normally printed with the hospital or care facilities' logo and given to patients at check in. The convenience store mugs are sold in a variety of stores across the country, such as Quik Trip, Exxon, and 7-11. The convenience stores sell the mugs to their customers as an incentive for them to come back on a regular basis, usually offering refills at a discounted price when the customer brings in their mug. The promotional market offers printed products through a distributor network, offering products at low minimums for events and smaller companies.

To offer more options for customers who are purchasing to sell at retail, the company is in the process of setting up an ecommerce site for wholesale buyers, and recently hired a new webmaster to focus on updating the ThermoServ website and work towards getting an ecommerce site ready to launch by the end of the second quarter of 2012. The ecommerce site will only be geared towards the retail gift side of the business, as orders for the other markets are usually very custom and require more communication with the customer directly, something that cannot be done easily over the internet. It will allow buyers looking to purchase smaller quantities of ThermoServ mugs and tumblers the opportunity to do so quickly and easily online, through a pick and ship program without having to meet the minimum order requirements of a large retailer.

ThermoServ is ISO 9001:2008 certified, and all products are BPA-Free and Prop 65 compliant. The company is focused on creating products that are beneficial to the environment, as their green initiative, "Reduce, Refill, Recycle, Rethink," teaches customers the environmental benefits of using refillable drinking containers. According to ThermoServ, if every American who drinks coffee used a refillable mug instead of a disposable cup, it would eliminate nearly seven million pounds of C02 emissions each day. As part of the initiative, ThermoServ introduced Green Line mugs, composed of recycled materials and featuring double-wall insulation. Like all of ThermoServ's products, they are completely recyclable. In addition, the company now wraps all mugs in a recyclable poly bag before being shipped, distributing them to customers using recyclable corrugated boxes, and promotes electronic correspondence, including a monthly e-newsletter and various e-blasts of promotional material, as employees look to conserve resources and promote sustainability.

ThermoServ will continue to grow their American-made product line with new designs and options for their existing mugs and tumblers, with a new line of travel tumblers ready to debut in January 2012. Hock says that the future is looking incredibly bright. "We have so many good things and so many opportunities," he says. "Many companies are struggling now, but we see nothing but growth and more opportunities, and there's a very positive energy with the company right now."

For More Information:
ThermoServ
3901 Pipestone Road
Dallas, TX 75212
Tel.: 214-631-0307
Toll Free: 800-635-5559
Fax: 214-631-0566
Website: www.thermoserv.com