Anthony Bernas is a big-time project guy. It doesn’t matter what, he said, “I just like building new things.” So when a friend challenged him to come up with an innovation for their usual summertime lakeside setup, it led to the first iteration of the Cooler Keg.
It wasn’t supposed to serve as a future prototype, just an everyday portable kegerator, which tucked neatly inside a standard-size cooler. "Real draft beer on demand."
But five years later, it's something he's building out full-time, after quitting his job as a travel nurse last year.
“I was just making something fun for us and for our friends,” he told me. "But the response was overwhelming. They were all like, ‘You just made something that the world needs.’”
The Cooler Keg recently wrapped a recent six-figure Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign – and is using social media’s hottest platform TikTok – to build further momentum.
Bernas and Cooler Keg co-founder Racine Gruberman are ready to get their product into the hands of hundreds of waiting customers, all the while navigating the challenges that come with managing a global supply chain.
About 375 pre-orders await.
“It’s been such a roller coaster,” Bernas said. “You can't help it. The excitement around the product is contagious, and you think, ‘Oh my gosh, this thing is going to blow up.' And then for the next two days, you're twiddling your thumbs waiting to hear something back about a manufacturer.”
The Cooler Keg
- Meet the team: Anthony Bernas, co-founder and CEO; Racine Gruberman, co-founder
- Where it’s based: Covington, Kentucky
- What it is: An ultra-portable draft bar built into a classic-sized picnic cooler. Its wide-mouth kegs can hold virtually any beverage, from beer to cocktails, seltzers, kombucha, soft drinks and more.
- Total funding: $254,000
Here’s how it works: The Cooler Keg is a completely portable (or as Bernas says “ultra-portable”) self-contained stainless-steel cooler/kegerator.
It’s equipped with a food-grade CO2-driven draft system. There's double taps, not a keg pump, to mirror what’s found at bars and restaurants. No electricity is needed. Instead of using store-bought kegs, the Cooler Keg comes with two refillable, wide-mouth kegs, each with a 228-ounce capacity.
Those kegs can be filled with virtually any beverage – from beer to hard seltzers, cocktails, mocktails, soda and more. The setup is easy, Gruberman said. With just a few clicks, the Cooler Keg is ready to go.
In terms of competitors, the startup sits in a “Goldilocks-like” position, she added.
Other systems, like the Jockey Box, a favorite at beer festivals, are much larger — and harder to transport — or significantly smaller, like the SquareKeg, which appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in November. The latter, which fits in a fridge or cooler, holds a dozen 12-ounce beers.
The Cooler Keg, by comparison, fits 36 12-ounce beers or 144 3-ounce cocktails. It weighs in at 45 pounds when the kegs are empty and at 72 pounds when full.
Price wise, the Cooler Keg retails for $899. The company is currently offering a pre-sale price of $749.
Bernas and Gruberman have made multiple outings with their current prototype – the Cooler Keg is now on its fifth iteration, with some little changes and tweaks made along the way. And it’s turned heads. One Ohio State University fan made an all-cash offer this fall to buy the product on the spot, Bernas said.
While target applications include tailgating, camping, boating, fishing, golfing and more, their outings have slowly revealed more business-to-business applications as well.
Breweries have approached them about using the Cooler Keg for their regional sales teams. There’s also interest from coffee shops (for pouring nitro brew), food trucks, wineries, even large law firms and real estate agents. They want the Cooler Keg for corporate gifts or gifts for high-end clients.
“There's a massive B2B opportunity here,” Bernas added.
In terms of TikTok, Gruberman said their most authentic videos have gained the most traction. A last-minute, impromptu demo on how the Cooler Keg worked – as Bernas filled one keg with PBR beer — garnered 2.3 million views, with plenty of commentary about his beer choice.
Not to be a one-hit wonder, another video posted days later added 1.3 million views.
“It’s been our biggest platform,” Gruberman said.
The social media success helped raise initial interest for the Indiegogo campaign. While crowdfunding has become an increasingly popular option for founders – it allows startups to access a large pool of potential investors without giving up any ownership stake – Bernas and Gruberman said it served as excellent market research: Sure family and friends loved the Cooler Keg, but would others?
They initially had a $20,000 goal. The raise now stands at $219,000, enough to fuel their first manufacturing run.
The Cooler Keg also participated in University of Cincinnati’s Venture Lab pre-accelerator, which wrapped in February (Bernas is a UC alum), and received grant funding earlier this month from Main Street Ventures, an Over-the-Rhine entrepreneur support group. The company is currently an entrant in the 2023 FedEx Small Business Grant contest. In April, 100 finalists will be announced, and 10 overall winners will receive a $30,000 grand prize.
A production sample is on pace for a spring completion, and the company’s first shipment is expected to land by early summer.
The plan is to house that first delivery locally. Ideally, they hope to find a Cincinnati-based distribution partner for future production runs.
The availability of more affordable warehouse space in the region, compared to Chicago, where the two previously lived, was one of the reasons they relocated the business here.
“Right now, we’re in the eye of the storm,” Bernas said. “It was pure chaos until the (Indiegogo) campaign ended. Now it’s clear we need to move forward.”
