Naman Shrestha
Traveling is made a lot easier and smoother when we have all the right necessities with us. One of the most important resources during adventure travel is a water bottle that does more than just store water and other beverages for you. If you have a Hibear water bottle in your bag during your travels, you can rest assured that the insulated bottle will take care of your beverage that’ll satiate you. In ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 15, the founder highlighted the unique features of Hibear during his pitch to the sharks, hoping that at least one of them would give him a deal to make the brand bigger and more successful. The innovative design and versatility of the product have garnered the attention of many since its appearance on the show.
Hibear Water Bottle: Who Are They And What Do They Do?
After graduating from UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Mark Tsigounis pursued an MS in Finance at Suffolk University – Sawyer Business School after a gap of nearly six years. Between that time, he was employed at two companies — American Express Financial Advisors as a Financial Advisor and Fidelity Investments as a Retirement Investment Specialist and Investment Representative. Once he gained enough experience and qualification, he bagged a job at Merrill Lynch as a Financial Advisor and worked there from February 2011 to February 2012.
Next, Mark served as a Financial Consultant at E*TRADE Financial for more than two years, before co-founding Morea Brands in 2015. All this while, ever since 2011, he has been working for the US Navy Reserve as Lieutenant Commander — Supply Corps. During Mark’s time traveling in Africa, the Navy Veteran got his hands on an insulated bottle that kept the water ice cold all day, despite the scorching heat of the sun. When the trail runner and travel enthusiast found that such a thing existed, he began contemplating creating his own brand.
In ‘The Outdoor Biz’ Podcast, Mark Tsigounis talked about the inception of Hibear. He said, “I lived by coffee, right? I was just always working and led by coffee. Originally it was a French press and then we thought, well, this is kind of boring. An insulated French press idea led to ‘let’s do something a lot cooler.’ So we came up with this idea.” The founder explained that the idea of having a flask with multiple interchangeable tops appealed to him. So the next process in the plan of the New Jersey native was to order 3D printing and about 140 parts to realize his vision for the product. Mark added, “And we thought ‘this is totally not going to work,’ for a lot of different reasons.”
He continued, “I mean, can you imagine just having this mechanism in your backpack and how much space that would actually take up? It’s just not rational. So we took the summer and really thought about what it is, what we were trying to do with the seven interchangeable tops.” Then, Mark’s father gave him the idea that he could turn the top upside down. Mark and his team then designed the other aspects of the flask around it. Three years of research and development led to the birth of the All-Day Adventure Flask, which is also known as the Swiss Army tool of insulated bottles.
Apart from storing water, it can also be used to store beverages like coffee and cocktails. It comes with an insulated thermal core, cocktail strainer, steel basket and a pour over lid. You can store water, filter coffee, concoct a cold brew, blend a delectable cocktail, infuse the water with your favorite fruits and herbs or even decant water, the multipurpose product promises to give you an extraordinary outdoor drinking experience.
Hibear Water Bottle Update: Where Are They Now?
Headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Hibear Design Co.’s advanced and utility-focused products led them to garner a tremendous amount of support from their contributors on their Kickstarter Campaign in the Fall of 2020. In the same year, the team won a Red Dot Award, which was followed by an iF Design Award in 2021. The recognition for their hard work gave the company a boost to serve better and deliver excellent quality products. The Adventure Flask went into production in February 2021 but the company faced their share of challenges in the following months.
In June, the company received a $150,000 pre-seed investment from Reno Seed Fund and FundNV. Ultimately, the first shipment of products arrived in July in the City of Angels, California. Since the incorporation of Hibear on January 1, 2017, the company has only had one goal in mind — “to inspire a world better than we found it.” It is an eco-friendly venture, with a unique range of products designed aimed at offering a sustainable solution to avert the climate change impact due to the usage of products that end up rotting in landfills and spoiling the ocean reserves.
In 2022, it was voted the Best Tailgating Gear by Outside Magazine. As of writing, Hibear’s star product — The All-Day Adventure Flask — is available at $95 in a wide array of color combinations. It also produces several accessories, such as Replacement Gaskets, Steel Filter Baskets, Replacement AF Caps, Sleeve Expansion Packs, Silicone Sleeves, Accessory Pouches, All-In-One Tritan Cocktail Shakers, and Sticker Packs – Artist Series Collection. Apart from providing an option to return within 60 days of usage, it also offers fast and free shipping if you place an order over $79.
Interestingly, along with the manufacturing, the materials they use in the packaging are also reusable in nature. Their dedication to their mission is further highlighted by the fact that they are Climate Neutral Certified and often contribute to initiatives that work towards combating climate issues, such as One Percent for the Planet. As a member of the non-profit organization, they devote 1% of their earnings to environmental causes each year. With such a noble objective and first-rate products, Hibear is sure to thrive in the future.
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