Is Hydro Flask a Public Company? Who Owns Hydro Flask?

Hydro Flask bottles seem to be everywhere these days and it’s likely that one of your friends of family members have one if you haven’t bought one already. They are popular among outdoor enthusiasts and have also been picked up by people passionate about health and the environment.

Who is behind this company? Are Hydro Flask a public traded company? Who owns Hydro Flask and how much is the company worth?

Is Hydro Flask a Publicly Traded Company

Yes, the Hydro Flask brand is owned by a subsidiary of the company Helen of Troy Limited (HELE). This is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ US Stock Exchange that focuses on consumer brand name homewares, health, home and beauty products.

This means that YES Hydro Flask is a public owned company. While you can’t just buy stock in “Hydro Flask” you can buy stock in it’s parent company Helen of Troy (HELE).

How Much Did The Hydro Flask Company Sell For?

Hydro Flask was started in 2009 in Bend, Oregon by Travis Rosbach and Cindy Morse. The company took a $1 million investment around 2011 and the founders sold out of the company in mid-2012 by an investor for an undisclosed amount.

At this time the board got revamped and a new CEO (Scott Allan) was brought onboard.

This article from INC shows us that 2014 revenue for the company was in the ballpark of $35.6 Million with 3-year growth of 1,487%.

In March of 2016 the company was again sold for a whopping $210 million dollars to an El Paso, Texas-based maker of personal care products – Helen of Troy Limited (HELE).

This article states that at the time of acquisition in 2016 annual sales were $54 million (up 51.7% since the mid-2012 figure).

Click here to learn more about the story behind Hydro Flask and how it got started.

Who Started Hydro Flask?

Travis Rosbach and Cindy Morse (with Mike Griffith)

Hydro Flask was started by a couple Travis Rosbach and Cindy Morse in 2009.

The couple was living in Oahu, Hawaii and in 2008 started looking for ways to make a water bottle that was reusable, toxic chemical free and one that would keep drinks cold.

Founder Cindy Morse had the idea to use the technology in her insulated coffee cup and apply it to water bottles.

They started with a shipment of 1,500 water bottles from China and sold them at local markets in Oregon before they got picked up by stores.

An investor saved the company from closing down in 2011 with a $1 million cash injection and Cindy left the company followed shortly by Travis in 2012.

Who Currently Owns Hydro Flask

Larry Witt now runs Hydro Flask as part of Helen of Troy

Hydro Flask is a subsidiary of major public company Helen of Troy Limited (HELE).

Helen of Troy bought the Hydro Flask brand back in 2016 when annual revenues were around $54 million and growing.

They continue to own Hydro Flask today and it is one of the company’s leading brands.

How Many Hydro Flasks Are Sold Per Year?

Hydro Flask are now reported under Helon of Troy’s “Leading Brands”. This category includes multiple brands and while we can see total sales and growth over this sector it’s impossible to tell exactly how many Hydro Flasks are sold her year.

This article reports that in the quarter leading up to November 30, 2016 that sales of Hydro Flasks we $34.3 million.

Multiply this by 4 quarters per year and you get a rough sales figure of $137.2 million in sales per year.

However this was late 2016 and since then the company has expanded distribution globally and sales would likely exceed this by a great amount.