How Stanley 1913 Is Turning Virality Into A Global Lifestyle Play

Forbes

5 hours ago

If you've scrolled through TikTok in the past few years, chances are you've seen more than a few colored cups with a straw jutting out; clutched by a twenty-something in a car, a gym, or throughout an entire 'get ready with me' video. In the hydration age, that product—the Stanley Quencher—became a viral obsession that turned a 110-year-old thermos company into one of the most unlikely consumer success stories of the decade.
Between 2019 and 2023, Stanley 1913's revenue multiplied tenfold, peaking towards the billion-dollar mark. But, as a few flip-fortuned brands know all too well, viral fame has a half-life. The challenge was proving Stanley could sustain itself once the frenzy cooled.
And for Ben James, Stanley's Vice President of Global Commercial and General Manager for EMEA, that challenge is a daily obsession. James joined Stanley just as the company was hitting its steepest growth curve in 2021. 'Rocket ship is the only way to describe it,' he says. 'It was a lot of pioneering, deep strategy work—figuring out who we wanted to be, where we wanted to go, and how to get there. It was scrappy in the beginning.'
That scrappiness has since evolved into deliberate structure. Today James spends most of his time on EMEA—Stanley's fastest-growing region, which tripled its business last year and is forecast to double again in 2025.
The central question for James and the rest of the company's leadership team remains how to move beyond the Quencher, and he frames the idealogy behind Stanley's past and future in 'eras.'
'Our first era was rooted in supplying the American workforce—workers bringing coffee to the job site,' he explains. 'Then came the outdoor era, as people took our bottles camping and hiking. The next era was hydration—that's where the Quencher sits—and now we're pioneering the next phase: to become a true global lifestyle brand.'
In practice, this new phase means diversifying categories. Hydration remains core, but in Europe, café products (insulated mugs, commuter-friendly designs, et al) are rapidly growing. 'I'm guilty, I have mine with me right now,' James laughs. 'I like to sip coffee slowly, and I want it hot for hours. Café is becoming a major part of our consumer's day in EMEA.'
Alternately, soft coolers have taken off with triple-digit growth in North America, tapping into the US' affinity for outdoor picnics and parties, where Stanley is also building its barware line, from pints to cocktail shakers.
'You leverage the virality, but you can't let it define you,' James says. 'We used that spike to fuel other categories. We reinvested into innovation, so it wasn't just one cup driving the brand.'
Innovation, he insists, is non-negotiable. 'If you take your foot off the gas from a product perspective, you lose consumer loyalty. The product engine feeds partnerships, categories, and stories. It's truly what allows us to sustain growth.'
It's that innovation, paired with partnerships, that secures its continued, cross-cultural reach, too. Stanley has collaborated with Lionel Messi, Post Malone, and most recently, Arsenal Football Club—its most significant European move to date.
'Sport is culture,' James says. 'Football especially—it connects communities worldwide, and Arsenal was the perfect partner. We share over 110 years of heritage. When Arsenal first played at Highbury, it was the same year Stanley patented its bottle. Both brands stand for innovation, performance, and community.'
The newly-released collaboration launched with co-branded bottles, and social sentiment was overwhelmingly positive for both brands. 'It's not just about revenue,' he insists. 'Success is bringing fans together, celebrating what both brands stand for, and doing it sustainably.'
'These things don't just snap together. There's months of research, planning, and work on both sides. You get one chance to launch right.'
When asked what the brand might be planning next, James is cautious about specifics but outlines clear priorities for the next two years; to deepening hydration with new formats and colourways, to supercharging café in Europe, and bolstering growth in key markets—particularly the UK, France, and Germany—while opening in new ones.
The brand is also cultivating retail partners like JD Sports, which James says represent the 'modern channels' Stanley needs to reach fresh consumers. 'We're still new to a lot of people in EMEA,' he says. 'That's the opportunity.'
And while viral growth inevitably flattens, James is confident in Stanley's onwards trajectory. Unlike most hypebeasts, it has over a century of credibility to draw on. 'We have 110 years of brand equity,' James says. 'We use that to fuel the next 110.'