Greek life traditions date back hundreds of years, so it is not surprising to see modern traditions circulating the Greek life world. What is one tradition favored by many sororities and fraternities?
Painting coolers.
Yes, painting coolers! Sororities and fraternities across the US participate in the Greek tradition of decorating drink coolers with team colors, logos, and even their own Greek letters. Decorated drink coolers can be seen at many big/little reveals, formals, and especially tailgates. However, there is a long tedious preparation process before a cooler can be painted. What if there was a way to paint a cooler that didn't require any preparation?
Introducing COOLERSbyU, the first cooler designed with your creativity in mind. COOLERSbyU is the only place that offers ready to paint coolers. Simply take out the cooler and get painting immediately! COOLERSbyU CEO, Garrett Barretta, tells Fresh U about what inspired his time-saving concept.
While at the University of Delaware, Barretta studied Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation in the Horn Program, where professors were constantly challenging the students to see problems and create solutions to day-to-day problems. As a member of a fraternity, he attended annual formals where painting coolers became very popular.
“These customized coolers became a special memento of weekends with friends and I loved seeing the creative and special designs that friends would come up with.” However, Barretta was surprised to hear that a lot of time was spent on these coolers in preparation for painting. Hours were spent sanding, spackling, and filling in indentations just to create a smooth surface for priming the cooler.
“As a student of the Horn Program with a passion for entrepreneurship, a lightbulb went off that this is a problem that needed solving.” Barretta said. After working as an intern in a packaging and manufacturing company before his senior year, he realized the process could be completely changed by modifying a few features of a typical cooler. Eliminating logos and indentations allows the coolers to be ready for painting upon opening the box.
Barretta explained how he hopes his convenient product inspires more organizations to incorporate the tradition of painting coolers. Since the cooler is ready to use, people spend more time painting than preparing. Multiple fraternities around the country are working with COOLERSbyU to sell the coolers as a part of their philanthropy, raising funds for charitable organizations.
“I love this application, and I love that it gets people excited about both philanthropy and cooler painting!” Barretta said.
COOLERSbyU Coolers are also perfect for events that are unrelated to Greek life. These coolers are perfect gifts for a birthday, holiday, or a fun twist for a bachelor and bachelorette party, holiday parties, work events, and even family reunions.
“We had a customer purchase a few coolers for a holiday party and then left a bowl of Sharpies next to them, so that throughout the party, guests could grab a drink then sign their name to create a special memory of the night,” Barretta told Fresh U.
If you are looking for a unique way to create a souvenir from an event of any kind, COOLERSbyU is the one stop shop for a fun party favor that will last a lifetime. Whether it be for a Greek event, a wedding, or even a birthday, utilizing the ready to paint COOLERSbyU coolers will be an easy, painless activity for any group of people! Get yours at www.coolersbyu.com.