WARREN, Pa. -- Whirley-DrinkWorks and Mugs Made Easy, longtime competitors as designers and manufacturers of refillable beverage products for convenience stores, are merging. The new company will combine their drinkware product lines to bring an expanded offering to c-stores, according to the companies.
Under terms of the deal, Mugs Made Easy will become EasyGo by Whirley-DrinkWorks, a new corporate entity owned by Whirley. Warren, Pa.-based Whirley-DrinkWorks designs and manufactures a wide variety of custom plastic drinkware, including Whirley-Made in the USA everyday plastic products and DrinkWorks, custom drinkware products with ValidFill RFID technology that can drive self-serve prepaid revenue. Mugs Made Easy specializes in branded, upscale stainless-steel travel mugs and acrylic products.
“Our two companies have long been extremely effective in helping convenience stores sell custom products designed to encourage repeat business and to increase sales,” said Lincoln Sokolski, president of Whirley-DrinkWorks. “Together with Mugs Made Easy, we’ll bring even more creativity and new ideas to grow the dispensed-beverage business in convenience stores, which is a win-win for everyone.”
Mugs Made Easy owners Irene and Steve Schlotzhauer will stay on, along with much of their sales and creative team. “This merger simply makes sense for both our customers and team,” said Irene Schlotzhauer. “Mugs Made Easy’s strength in creating on-trend stainless steel and acrylic products, combined with Whirley’s expertise in custom plastic products, means we can offer a wide combined product line while applying our unique knowledge and experience in the convenience-store industry.”
The EasyGo by Whirley-DrinkWorks brand will debut at the NACS Show, Oct. 17-20 in Chicago.
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