S'well is a reusable water bottle and insulated products company headquartered in Manhattan, New York.[2][3][4][5] Sarah Kauss founded the company in 2010 and was the company's CEO until 2020.[6][7]

S'well
Company typePrivate
Founded2010
FounderSarah Kauss
Headquarters,
United States
Key people
Hugh Rovit (CEO)
ProductsWater bottles, reusable food containers, stainless steel straws[1]
Websitewww.swell.com

History

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S'well was founded by Sarah Kauss in 2010.[8] She started the company after attending a panel, at her five-year Harvard Business School reunion, focused on the global clean water crisis.[9] She initially invested $30,000 of her own savings and operated out of a brownstone in Manhattan. A year after the company launched, S'well experienced The Oprah Effect after being featured in O, The Oprah Magazine.[6][8][10] From 2013 to 2014, the company's revenue had grown 400 percent, generating $10 million in sales by the end of the year.[10][11] S'well's operations relocated to the Flatiron District of Manhattan in 2015.[12] By May 2015, S'well had sold 4 million bottles.[13] In 2016, Forbes reported that the company was listed first in a ranking of the fifty fastest growing women-owned or led companies after revenues increased from $10 million in 2013 to $47 million in 2015. The growth rate resulted in a listing on Crain's 2016 and 2017 Fast50.[14][15] In 2016, Forbes reported that S'well had over $100M in sales.[16]

In 2017, the company increased staff at its London headquarters and expanded its retail sales to 65 countries worldwide.[17] That same year, the company relocated its Manhattan headquarters to a larger office space.[18]

In September 2018, the company partnered with the NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability and the New York City Department of Education which gave out S’well water bottles to 600 high schools.[19][20] In February 2020 Hugh Rovit became CEO.[21]

Product

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The company sells bottles that hold 9 US fluid ounces (270 millilitres), 17 US fl oz (500 ml) or 25 US fl oz (740 ml). The bottles are reusable and include triple-layer insulation.[22][23] The manufacturer claims the bottles are non-leaking, non-toxic and they keep liquids cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours.[24][25] However, objective testing suggests that the actual durations may be shorter.[26]

A 2015 consumer report tested the efficacy of the S'well bottle. Initially filling the bottle with water at 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius), the testers compared changes in temperature using a regular plastic bottle as the control. After five hours, the plastic bottle's water temperature read 79 °F (26 °C) while the S'well's water read 41 °F (5 °C). After twenty-four hours, the plastic bottle's water was at 84 °F (29 °C), the S'well's water at 69 °F (21 °C). Testing the product's heat retention claim, the testers filled the bottle with hot coffee. The initial temperature was above 168 degrees Fahrenheit (76 degrees Celsius). Six hours later, the thermometer read more than 140 °F (60 °C). Twelve hours later the temperature was 126 °F (52 °C), dropping 42 °F (24 °C).[26]

In March 2016, S'Well released S'ip by S'well, a line of 15oz bottles sold through retail chain Target.[27][28]

As of November 2017, the company produced bottles in over 200 different designs.[29] S'well added new bottles named the Traveler and the Tumbler in 2017.[30] In 2018, the company added the Roamer, a large bottle, to its line.[31]

In 2019, S’well launched new lines of portable triple-layer food and snacking containers.[32][33]

References

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  1. ^ Fox, MeiMei. "How The Founder Of S'well Found Her Purpose In Driving Sustainability". Forbes.
  2. ^ Andrew Liszewski (April 28, 2011). "S'well Insulated Stainless Steel Bottles". Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  3. ^ "S'well Bottle Keeps The Hot Side Hot and The Cool Side Cool". December 10, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  4. ^ "S'well: A Better Reusable Water Bottle?". 16 November 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  5. ^ "The S'Well Idea That Built a Better Water Bottle". Bloomberg News. March 9, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "How S'well swelled". October 9, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  7. ^ "What a 'S'well' idea: Stylish bottles benefit WaterAid". December 22, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Annie Pilon (June 4, 2015). "Startup Aims to Eliminate Plastic Bottles with Better Looking Alternatives". Small Business Trends. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  9. ^ Gabriela Motroc (March 19, 2015). "Tax Auditing didn't make her a millionaire, a water bottle did". Australian National Review. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Parija Kavilanz (May 22, 2015). "She's $10M closer to replacing plastic bottles". CNN. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  11. ^ "The Broadsheet: October 13th". October 13, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  12. ^ "Entrepreneur is all about the bottle—as long as it matches her outfit". April 3, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  13. ^ "The S'Well Idea That Built a Better Water Bottle". Bloomberg News. March 9, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  14. ^ "Fast50: New York's Fastest Growing Companies". Crain's New York Business. 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Crain's Fast 50". Crain's New York Business. 26 June 2018.
  16. ^ Sorvino, Chloe. "Why S'well Bottle Founder Sarah Kauss Is One Of America's Most Successful Self-Made Women". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  17. ^ "S'well Founder Sarah Kauss Is Saving the Planet, One Bottle at a Time". City A.M.
  18. ^ Morris, Keiko (26 March 2017). "Bottle Maker Quadruples Manhattan Office Space". The Wall Street Journal.
  19. ^ Q&A With Mark Chambers, NYC's Sustainability Director, NYC Go, 19 February 2019
  20. ^ Barron, James (September 23, 2018). "320,000 High Schoolers to Get Free Water Bottles. The Goal? 54 Million Fewer Single-Use Drinks". Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  21. ^ "S'well Appoints Hugh Rovit as Chief Executive Officer" (Press release). 26 February 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  22. ^ "10 Gadgets for Equipping Your Perfect Desk". Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  23. ^ "S'well Water Bottles Review". Hydration Anywhere.
  24. ^ "S'well Bottles Tap into an Appreciation for Fashion and Function". August 18, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  25. ^ Michael Grothaus (August 18, 2015). "How S'well Designed Its Way Into 3,300 Starbucks Stores". Fast Company & Inc. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  26. ^ a b Scheffler, Melissa (April 20, 2016). "DIW: S'well bottle". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  27. ^ Daniel Roberts (March 1, 2016). "Why Target is going big on this small water-bottle startup". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  28. ^ Foley, Michele (March 3, 2016). "Target and S'well Just Combined Forces For the Prettiest Water Bottles We've Ever Seen". Popsugar. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  29. ^ Meyers, Tracey (2020-11-06). "S'well Looks to Textiles for Art and Design Inspiration". WWD.
  30. ^ "S'well Debuts Tumblers at NY Now". HomeWorld.
  31. ^ "S'well Launches Growlers and They're Pretty Nice". Gear Patrol. 2 March 2018.
  32. ^ Laurence, Emily (August 14, 2019). "S'WELL MADE WATER BOTTLES COOL—AND NOW THEY'RE COMING FOR YOUR MEAL PREP ROUTINE". Well and Good.
  33. ^ Flager, Madison (15 August 2019). "S'well Now Makes Vacuum-Sealed Food Containers That Match Your Water Bottle". Delish.