Liqua Lights, LLC doesn't just sell koozies. They sell koozies that light up.
Not only do their koozies keep your drink cold, they also provide your beverage of choice with a light of its own. This now-patented idea was created by
Liqua Lights owner David Beaudette in 2011 and they have since sold more than 10,000 koozies. He came up with the idea at a bonfire.
"I held a flashlight to the bottom of a drink sitting by a bonfire. The light just poured through the bottle, and it looked great," Beaudette says.
When he first started working on this new product idea, he ran into two technical issues. The lights were giving off too much heat and the batteries were losing their juice too fast. Once the product was ready and these bugs were fixed, he filed for a provisional patent, then had to come up with $10,000 to file for the utility patent.
Now a fully functioning business, Liqua Lights' entire production process occurs in Gwinn with the help of eight employees.
"I live in Michigan and want to create jobs here. That's very important to me," Beaudette says.
The product, which can be purchased online, comes with three AAA batteries, which can last up to 100 hours while the koozie is turned on. Once the batteries die, they can be replaced.
Customers can choose their color: red, blue, green, orange, pink, or, their most popular, green camouflage for the regular-sized koozie. Koozies are also sold in giant sizes which can hold 20-ounce sodas, fifths of liquor and other large items.
Liqua Lights not only sells to individuals, but has also done custom koozies for a variety of large companies including Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Don King Promotions, Corley Sports Apparel, and Shell Gas Station and hopes to expand its customer base to include more clients from the sports and music industries.
The company recently welcomed former world boxing champ DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley to their sales team, in turn adding the world of boxing to their growing list of potential customers.
Beaudette says having Corley on their team has benefited the company, allowing them to make new leads and get into a sector of the sports world that would have been much harder to break into before.
"He is welcome at many events, both private and public, that are very difficult to be a part of, especially at the level that he is. That being said, Liqua Lights LLC now has access to a whole new level in the professional sports industry," Beaudette says. "He is well known in professional sports to be a very intelligent and level-headed man, and it gives us a lot of credibility that he believes so much in our product and company."
A fairly new company, Liqua Lights (formerly KoozieLight) won the Eloft Business Plan Competition in spring 2012 and has already gotten the attention of the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles where it was featured in July 2011.
"Going to the Playboy Mansion was a great experience which showed us that our product was loved everywhere," Beaudette says. "We made a lot of great contacts out there."
Liqua Lights isn't only out to sell koozies--they are planning on using the success of their business for a program called "Lighten Up" Campaigns, which teams up Liqua Lights with other businesses to raise money for a variety of causes. Businesses that partner with Liqua Lights for this endeavor will help by offering the koozies for sale on their websites, at their businesses or at events they attend, and track how many koozies are sold. A portion of the proceeds from each koozie sold in this program will go towards the appointed charity or cause, giving both the participating business and Liqua Lights a way to help others.
"It gives us the opportunity to really help out our communities.. .it gives us the opportunity to help other businesses find ways to be part of giving back, and it gives us the opportunity to really show that we care about what is going on around us. It's a win-win situation in many ways," Beaudette says.
Still in the planning stages, they are planning on raising money for causes such as cancer research, or supporting troops and veterans.
"As a company you always want to be successful, and maximize potential; however, many people in doing this forget about the big picture. While being successful there are so many good things that can be done with that money and power," Beaudette says. "In the past as a company we have really done what we could, but always wanted to do more. We know that with this idea we can make a real difference, and we are really excited about that in many ways."
To learn more about the "Lighten Up Campaigns," visit their
Facebook page.
Julia Woehrer is a freelance writer, photographer and social media coordinator. She attended the School of Art and Design at Northern Michigan University where she concentrated in photography and minored in journalism. She volunteers at a local no-kill cat shelter and enjoys spending time with her cats, Bella and Macy.