With Super Bowl Sunday just around the corner, amped up fans are actively searching for products that will make their tailgate parties worthy of the occasion.
As any fan can tell you, the whole experience comprises a lot more than chips and dip — though that’s a good place to start.
Here, I’ve gathered some of the top items for your tailgate list, along with some fun facts about each.
Tortilla Chips — No party is complete without this dippable staple. But before it gets to the grocery store, where do these chips come from? The tortilla chip making process starts where you might expect — with corn — which is then processed sufficiently into flour, and then mixed into a dough, before eventually being formed into chips and baked. Wise Foods, Inc is one U.S. based tortilla manufacturer that has been perfecting the craft, incorporating flavored tortilla chips that don’t require any extra queso (but feel free to add some anyway).
Team Accessories — The Green Bay Packers may not have made it to the Super Bowl this year, but their fans’ cheese top hats are among the most recognizable accessories in the NFL. One manufacturer of these products, and the more ubiquitous foam hands seen in the stands, is Wisconsin-based Urethane Systems Plus. This company is a manufacturer of novelty polyurethane items for tailgate parties, as well as sporting equipment used on the field.
A Cool Cooler — Or, the COOLEST Cooler, to be more precise. This cooler achieved a major milestone when it successfully reached its fundraising goals on Kickstarter. What makes this cooler so cool? It has everything you need for a tailgate built in (minus the actual food and beverages — those are up to you to supply). The COOLEST Cooler has a built-in blender to create smoothies and frozen drinks, a waterproof bluetooth speaker, and a USB charger so you don’t have to worry about killing your phone’s battery with pictures and videos on game day. It also features a bottle opener, cutting board, storage, LED lights, and more. It’s basically the quintessential tailgate item.
A Hot Grill — Because nobody wants to eat frozen burgers and cold wings. There are many portable grills out there, but if you want something that will feed a large crowd of hungry fans, you may want to opt for a large BBQ trailer instead. Flagro USA is one manufacturer of BBQ trailers that can be customized according to customer needs. So if you’ve packed a lot of food into your COOLEST Cooler, this is the perfect grill to get it all cooked and ready to enjoy at the game.
The sourcing process for everyday products like these isn't so different from that used for more traditional industrial projects — the key is finding a supplier who's the right fit for what you need.