What KeepCool does

KeepCool (legally Keepcool USA LLC) is a privately held B2B white-label manufacturer of reusable, insulated, and seasonal shopping bags, founded in 1999 by Pierre Barlier and headquartered in Orinda, California. The company designs and manufactures custom-branded bags for enterprise partners, with a minimum order quantity of 5,000 units and a turnkey process spanning design consultation, prototyping, production, and fulfillment. Its product portfolio spans four categories — reusable bags, insulated bags and coolers, specialty bags (trolleys, wine totes, cake totes, foldable totes), and seasonal bags — supported by proprietary materials including I Used To Be A Plastic Bottle® rPET fabric (pioneered in 2007) and Supernatural Paper™ (FSC-certified washable paper), along with patented designs such as Click N' Stay™, Kangaroo Tote, and Caterpillar.

The company's business model is custom contract manufacturing under quote-based pricing, with multi-year enterprise contracts and a global manufacturing footprint (Asia finishing factories, USA/Europe/Asia design teams). KeepCool serves 150+ partners across grocery retail (Costco, Whole Foods, Aldi, Walmart, Meijer, Wegmans, The Fresh Market, Mariano's, Raley's, Save on Foods, Smart and Final, Earth Fare), warehouse and general retail (The Container Store, Barnes & Noble, Volcom), e-commerce (Amazon), food and nutrition brands (Jenny Craig, Made Good), and event/cultural institutions. The company also operates a direct-to-consumer channel through its Out of the Woods sub-brand via outofthewoods.com and Amazon.

Cumulatively, KeepCool has produced over 80 million bags since founding, with products tested to withstand 100+ pounds and lasting 10+ years. The company holds Prop 65, TIPPA, and TPCH compliance certifications and maintains a small employee base of 11-50. It is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding and remains founder-led. Geographic reach spans the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.

Name

KeepCool

Legal name

Keepcool USA LLC

Website

https://keepcoolbags.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KeepCool is a privately held B2B white-label manufacturer founded in 1999 that designs and produces custom reusable, insulated, and seasonal shopping bags for 150+ enterprise partners including major grocery and retail chains across North America, Asia, and Oceania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Orinda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom White-Label Bag Manufacturing: KeepCool designs and manufactures custom reusable bags, insulated coolers, and specialty bags for business partners. The company operates on a project-based model where they create bespoke products for each partner, from initial design consultation through prototyping to final production and fulfillment. Minimum order quantities typically start at 5,000 units for custom projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KeepCool designs and manufactures custom reusable shopping bags, insulated coolers, specialty bags, and seasonal bags as a B2B white-label producer. The company runs a turnkey process from design consultation and prototyping through final production and fulfillment for business partners, with a 5,000-unit minimum order for custom projects. It also sells its own branded products through an Out of the Woods consumer e-commerce storefront and Amazon.

Product overview

KeepCool is a white-label reusable bag manufacturer offering four main product lines: Reusable bags (totes, foldable bags, lunch bags), Insulated bags and coolers (Classic Shopping Cooler, Square Cooler, Insulated Backpack), Specialty bags (Trolley, Wine Tote, Cake Tote, Takeout Tote with Click N' Stay™ feature), and Seasonal bags (Back to School, holiday-themed coolers). The company pioneered bags made from recycled post-consumer waste (I Used To Be A Plastic Bottle®) and offers Supernatural Paper™ material. Products are fully customizable with various printing methods (8-color heliographic, transfer, screen printing, embroidery) and are produced via a turnkey process from design to fulfillment. Notable innovations include the Kangaroo Tote (patented duo-bag concept), Click N' Stay™ interlocking mechanism, and Caterpillar box-bag design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Out of the Woods: A sustainable lifestyle brand featuring bags made from Washable Paper® derived from FSC-certified trees, designed and manufactured by KeepCool.

Products and services

• Classic Shopping Cooler The iconic insulated shopping cooler that started the KeepCool business. Features shoulder-length handles and maximum storage capacity, designed for grocery shopping, travel, and outdoor activities. Sold as part of KeepCool's B2B custom manufacturing and via its branded consumer channels.
• Square Cooler An insulated cooler with a unique square design that allows stacking cans, bottles, or hot/cold food conveniently. Folds flat for easy storage when not in use. Customizable for B2B partners and offered in branded consumer channels.
• Insulated Backpack An insulated backpack-style cooler ideal for cyclist-shoppers or picnics, featuring comfortable over-the-shoulder handles or backpack straps with an insulated interior to keep food cool and fresh.
• Kangaroo Tote A patented bag-within-a-bag (duo-bag) concept that nests a smaller bag inside a parent pocket, providing extra space for specialty items to be kept separate from groceries. Used by Whole Foods Market and other partners.
• Takeout Tote A foldable tote made with resilient ripstop fabric featuring interior mesh pockets, a structured collar with handles, and a cushioned base. Folds up to the size of a palm to fit inside any bag or pants pocket.
• Cake Tote A reusable bag designed to accommodate larger, more cumbersome foods such as elaborate birthday cakes or oversized Thanksgiving birds.
• Wine Tote A wine bag made with unique washable paper material trimmed with natural fabrics. Features a snap-close design for wrapping and tying with a bow, suitable for gift presentations.
• Trolley A wheeled carrier bag designed for carrying fresh produce from farmers markets or groceries from stores. Provides shopping convenience with wheeled functionality.
• Caterpillar A box-cum-bag design that drapes into shopping carts to make bulk shopping more convenient. Maintains products neat and organized while allowing easy removal; features metamorphosis between rigidity and softness.
• Back to School Bags Colorful and expressive backpacks and lunch bags designed for school use, featuring durable construction that withstands daily rigors.
• Aloha Cooler A seasonal cooler with special fabrics and treatments designed for holiday-themed or celebratory occasions.
• I Used To Be A Plastic Bottle® material A proprietary material made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic bottles (rPET), used in the Kangaroo Tote and other reusable bags. Sold as part of KeepCool's B2B custom manufacturing program.
• Supernatural Paper™ material A sustainable washable paper material made from responsibly sourced FSC-certified trees. Washable, strong, vegan, replenishable, non-flammable, sustainable, animal-free, and lightweight.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ million reusable bags produced since 1999
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Finishing Factories in AsiacoreOthersManufacturing partners with facilities in Asia that adhere to rigorous standards for quality, sustainability, and labor practices. KeepCool has a dedicated team in Asia working closely with factories to ensure finished products meet customer specifications.
• Material Suppliers (Global)coreOthersEnduring partnerships with material suppliers across the globe that provide sustainable, eco-conscious materials from recycled and renewable components.
• BASFminorOthersThe world's largest chemical producer and leader in social and environmental stewardship. KeepCool uses eco-friendly oil-based inks from BASF when technically needed, in addition to primarily water- or soy-based inks.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Baggu: Baggu is a direct peer in the reusable bag category, producing reusable shopping bags, totes, and pouches from recycled and natural materials. Comparable in product form factor and sustainability positioning, though more consumer-brand-led than KeepCool's B2B white-label model.
• Eco-Bags Products: Eco-Bags is a direct competitor in the custom reusable bag and B2B promotional bag space, offering branded totes, produce bags, and sustainable packaging to enterprise customers. Highly comparable to KeepCool's white-label custom model, target verticals, and sustainability positioning.
• Enviro-Tote: Enviro-Tote is a direct competitor specializing in custom reusable bags, totes, and eco-friendly promotional products for businesses, schools, and events. Closely comparable in B2B custom manufacturing model, material focus (organic cotton, rPET), and minimum-order enterprise sales motion.
• Chico Bag: Chico Bag is a direct competitor in reusable bags with a strong consumer brand and B2B custom program offering branded reusable totes and packable bags. Comparable on product category, sustainability positioning, and reusable bag innovation, with broader direct-to-consumer distribution.
• Earthwise: Earthwise Bag Company is a direct competitor manufacturing custom reusable bags and eco-friendly packaging for retail, grocery, and promotional markets. Comparable in B2B custom bag manufacturing, minimum-order structure, and reusable bag category.
• Imago: Imago is a custom packaging and reusable bag supplier serving enterprise customers with branded merchandise and eco-friendly bag programs. Comparable in custom B2B bag manufacturing and sustainability-led merchandising to retail and consumer brands.
• Polar Bear Coolers: Polar Bear Coolers manufactures custom insulated bags and coolers, directly overlapping with KeepCool's insulated product line (Classic Shopping Cooler, Square Cooler, Insulated Backpack). Comparable in insulated bag category and custom B2B merchandising focus.

Broad incumbents

• YETI Holdings: YETI is a premium cooler and drinkware incumbent that competes in the insulated bag/cooler category adjacent to KeepCool's insulated product line. Comparable on insulated product category and quality positioning, though YETI's brand and pricing are oriented to consumer/premium channels rather than custom B2B.
• Igloo Products Corp. Igloo is a large incumbent in the cooler and insulated products category with broad distribution and a much wider product portfolio. Comparable as a competitor in insulated bags and coolers, though it operates across many categories beyond KeepCool's niche.

Emerging players

• eBags: eBags is an online retailer of bags, backpacks, and travel goods that overlaps with KeepCool's adjacent categories (back-to-school, seasonal, insulated backpacks). Comparable as a channel and category adjacents, though its business model is retail-led rather than custom B2B manufacturing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/keepcoolbags
• Facebookfacebook.com/keepcoolbags
• Instagraminstagram.com/keepcoolbags

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KeepCool