REAL TALK - Which Companies Make Stainless Steel Drinkware in the USA?

So, you’re looking for some new stainless steel drinkware. You do some research, compare prices and reviews and you pretty much know what you want. Now it’s time to find that Made in the USA badge proudly displayed on what will be your new purchase. Should be easy, right? There has to be plenty of stainless steel drinkware made in America … Wrong! 

Some of us want to buy American when we have the option. In fact, “Where is it manufactured?” is the #1 question we get at Real Deal Steel. Well, we’re going to keep it REAL and give it to you straight: No one manufactures stainless steel drinkware in the USA! It’s too bad but it’s the dirty truth. It’s easy to be misled by companies saying it is “designed in [insert US city here]”. The truth is, if you’re buying stainless steel drinkware, it is most likely coming from China. 

YETI - China

Hydroflask - China

RTIC - China

Brumate - China

Real Deal Steel - China

You can't buy stainless steel drinkware made in the USA, but you can still do your best to support American companies and get yourself high quality shatterproof drinkware. Here are some ideas:

1) Buy from a company based in the USA. This is becoming increasingly harder to do. Take Amazon for example: There are a surprising amount of Chinese companies that sell their products on the US Amazon platform. China’s share of the Amazon marketplace is around 35% and rising. That’s right … 35%! Some of the time, they make it obvious in their copy due to lack of knowledge of the English language, but most of the time you would never know it until you try to contact the company or attempt to read about them online. You'll generally come up empty handed, so pass these companies by and keep looking. 

2) Buy from a company that supports local vendors. Some companies choose to use freight companies based in the USA, warehousing options in the community they reside in, and marketing/tech companies based nearby. Others base these decisions on cost only and don't support their neighbor businesses.

3) Buy from a company with in-house custom departments. Making custom drinkware creates jobs as people need to operate the machinery and help create the designs. This creates jobs here in America. Making a custom department takes a lot upfront costs and commitment to increasd labor costs. Some companies keep this function in China and ship directly from China to the end customer as it is cheaper with little to no startup costs. 

4) Buy from a company that supports community and charitable endeavors. Yes, that matters. Companies are actually more likely to succeed when they plant roots in their local communities, but you'll obviously never see this in Chinese companies. 

 

Ready for our pitch? here you go: Real Deal Steel checks all four boxes above. We are co-founded by a husband and wife team, living in the Heartland of Wisconsin, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit. Our goal is to help you worry less about broken glass and the effects of environmentally damaging plastics. Whatever your drink of choice is, we have an option for you. We hope you decide to keep it REAL with us!