Monti Coolers Finds Success By Targeting Campers, Travelers, Beachgoers

As a fly fishing guide in Wyoming, Sam McChesney carried his clients' gear, lunch, and drinks upriver, and he lined his pack with a puffer jacket to keep it all cold.

No cooler would mold to the shape of his bag, he said. "That's kind of where the puffy aesthetic piece came from."

Monti Coolers, based in Charleston, makes ultralight, packable puffy coolers that fold into themselves, along with boat totes and other outdoor gear. The company was ranked No. 3 in this year's 50 Fastest Growing Companies in South Carolina recognition, the company’s first time on the list. McChesney said he believes it is the only puffy cooler on the market.

The idea took shape after he moved to San Francisco, where few people use coolers because they are walking, biking, or taking a rideshare to the park or beach. "Inevitably you'd buy a six-pack, put it on the ground and throw a jacket over it and drink it lukewarm," he said.

McChesney formed the company's LLC in late 2017 and ran a proof-of-concept batch of 500 units around 2019. They all sold out. He treated the business as a hobby at the time, spending about $5 a day on Facebook ads and filling orders from his apartment.

Then the pandemic hit, and he stopped paying attention to the business while he was swamped at his job in the tech world. After his employer went public and colleagues began leaving, McChesney decided the timing was right to move to Charleston and commit to Monti full time. That was about three years ago.

Finding a factory took a full year of searching, samples, and prototypes. McChesney said he didn't know what to search for or that seam welding the waterproof liner would be the toughest step. He bought materials online and soaked them in his bathtub to see how they held up. He was ready to give up and go back to tech when a friend introduced him to the factory Monti still uses, one that works with much larger brands.

"In the final hour, a friend of mine introduced me to the factory that we're still with today," he said.

Production is no longer the main problem. Inventory is. Customers get opinionated about seasonal colors, he said, and Monti keeps selling out of favorites like navy.

Today the lineup includes six products: the Shasta 23L Cooler, a backpack style priced at $149; the Kingfisher Cooler Tote, $219; the Socialite, a shoulder bag, $169; the Pocket Cooler, $89; the Cubbie Hip Cooler, a belt-style bag, $89.99; and the Sullivan Wine Sleeve, $49.

"I assumed that the ideal customer would be someone like me," he said, describing his own days of heavy camping. But as the product evolved and he started a family, now with two daughters, he realized how much broader the uses are. People are using the coolers for travel, farmers markets, and grocery runs, not just the beach or campsite. More than 50 percent of Monti's sales go to women, which he believes makes it the only cooler company that can say so.

Sales have focused on customized corporate gifting, with plans to move into brick-and-mortar retail soon.

The team is deliberately small. McChesney's assistant, Emily Walters, handles everything from operations to marketing, and Ian Rubin leads sales. McChesney said he was spending nearly all of his time on sales until he split that role into several jobs. An outside contractor manages customer support, and the company relies on a marketing agency, local graphic designers, and a Charleston third-party logistics warehouse. Monti recently added two marketing interns. Its next hires will likely be in sales, possibly an assistant for Rubin, and after that a product and logistics leader.

McChesney said Charleston has been a good fit. It is a lifestyle town; recruiting is easy with the College of Charleston nearby, and taxes are friendlier than in California. Because Monti is a content-heavy business, a photo shoot on a boat is a 20-minute trip to the dock. "If we were living in Atlanta or something, it would just be nothing but golf course content," he said.

He has also grown more connected to the city's outdoor business community. Monti has appeared at events like SEWE (Southeastern Wildlife Exposition) and has donated to the oyster charity of Charleston brand Toadfish. It has also run giveaways and social media partnerships with other local brands. He hopes to start a Charleston Brand Collective, a club that would meet for drinks once a quarter.

His advice to other founders is simple: move faster. He said he suffered from "analysis paralysis," spending too much time on business plans and tweaking the product before release.

"Be OK with shipping something that isn't perfect in the beginning," he said. "All of our best changes have happened now that we're getting feedback and using it all the time."

Asked what he would do differently, McChesney said it comes down to speed. "Any time that I've sat here and waffled on a decision, it's always been the wrong call," he said. "It's better to just make any decision."