Tumbling into oblivion: This product is arguably the most uniquely screwed by the tariffs on China
Stanley and Yeti’s distinctive insulated tumblers come from China. What these big cups could cost after trade war increases might cause you to spit out your drink.
Recently we took a deep dive into trade data, looking at what goods we imported almost exclusively from China. One of the top categories of goods was described in the weird, verbose language of international trade as:
"VACUUM FLASKS AND OTHER VACUUM VESSELS, COMPLETE WITH CASES; PARTS THEREOF OTHER THAN GLASS INNERS."
Turns out that the US imported more than $1.6 billion worth of vacuum flasks and parts in 2024, and China supplied 96% of our imports of this category.
So what are they exactly?
Basically this category covers metallic insulated bottles, like thermos mugs, insulated travel coffee mugs, and tumblers. These happen to be really complicated things to make, with many manual steps, as you can see from this oddly fascinating video (do yourself a favor and turn the sound off):
Stanley
One of the most successful companies in this category is Stanley. The privately owned, 112-year-old brand is probably most well known for a single product that became an unlikely hit and was even the target of a “Saturday Night Live” skit poking fun at the popular “big dumb cups.”
That’s right — it’s the company’s iconic 40-ounce “Quencher Flowstate Tumblers.” Launched into fame by influencers on TikTok who introduced the product to thirsty women during Covid, the colorful tumblers have a cultlike following. In four years, Stanley’s sales went from $73 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023, CNBC reported.
Stanley even has its own official loyalty program featuring early access to new tumbler “drops,” with special perks for superfans who collect the most points. Buyers can customize their Quencher Flowstate Tumblers with 32 different colors, along with custom graphics and engraved monograms.
Ship manifest data from ImportYeti shows that in the past year, PMI Worldwide — Stanley’s parent company — imported vacuum flasks via sea shipments mainly from suppliers in China, with a smaller amount coming from Vietnam and Thailand. While the company may have other suppliers delivering goods over land or via air shipping that would not show up in this data, having such reliance on Chinese suppliers for its star product could cause some pain for the company.
A 40-ounce Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler (in Cornflower Gloss) sells for $45 on Stanley’s website. If subjected to the full 145% tariff on Chinese imports, that bright blue tumbler could cost $110, a price that even Stanley die-hards might find hard to swallow.
Yeti
Another company that may not be insulated from the effects of President Trump’s tariffs is Yeti, maker of rugged coolers and travel mugs.
In 2024, Yeti’s total revenue was $1.83 billion, and 60% of that (just over $1 billion) came from its drinkware line, most of which features mugs and tumblers with “kitchen-grade, 18/8 stainless-steel, double-wall vacuum insulation,” according to the company’s 2024 annual report.
The company said that it does not own any of its own manufacturing facilities, and that just two manufacturers made up 74% of its drinkware supply in 2024. ImportYeti data (no relation) also shows that the vast majority of Yeti’s sea shipments of vacuum flasks originated from China.
Yeti warned in its annual report about the significant negative impact higher tariffs could have on the business:
“Tariffs have the potential to significantly raise the cost of our products. In such a case, there can be no assurance that we will be able to shift manufacturing and supply agreements to non-impacted countries, including the United States, to reduce the effects of the tariffs.”
The company also predicted that steep tariffs would eat away at profit margins:
“As a result, we may suffer margin erosion or be required to raise our prices, which may result in the loss of customers, negatively impact our results of operations, or otherwise harm our business. In addition, the imposition of tariffs on products that we export to international markets could make such products more expensive compared to those of our competitors if we pass related additional costs on to our customers, which may also result in the loss of customers, negatively impact our results of operations, or otherwise harm our business.”
Yeti’s Rambler 64-ounce insulated water bottle in “key lime” sells for $65 on the company’s website. If the full 145% tariffs were applied to this bottle, it could cost up to $159.
Yeti and Stanley did not respond to a request for comment.
