Solo Cup Company

{{For|the Toby Keith song|Red Solo Cup}} {{redirect|Red Cup|the Starbucks cups|Starbucks Red Cup}} {{Short description|American disposable tableware manufacturer}} {{use mdy dates|date=May 2017}} {{Infobox company | name = Solo Cup Company | logo = Solo Cup Company logo.svg | type = Subsidiary | industry = | fate = | predecessor =  | successor =  | founded =  1936 | founder = Leo Hulseman | defunct =  | hq_location_city = Lake Forest, Illinois | hq_location_country = | area_served =  | key_people = | products = Disposable cups | owner =  | num_employees = | num_employees_year =  | parent = Dart Container | website = {{URL|https://www.solocup.com/home/|solocup.com}} }}

'''Solo Cup Company''' is an American manufacturer of disposable consumer products including beverage cups, disposable plates, and bowls. Solo Cup Company is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and in 2006 had sales of $2.4 billion. On May 4, 2012, Solo Cup Company was acquired by Dart Container.<ref name="Dart">{{cite press release |title=Dart Container Closes on Acquisition of Solo Cup Company |publisher=Dart Container |date=May 4, 2012 |url=http://www.dart.biz/web/products.nsf/files/Dart-Solo-Acquisition05042012.pdf/$FILE/Dart-Solo-Acquisition05042012.pdf |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref><ref name="ctribune">{{cite news |first=Ally |last=Marotti |title=Robert L. Hulseman, Chicago-area creator of famed red Solo Cup, dies at 84 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-hulseman-solo-cup-inventor-dies-1230-biz-20161229-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune |date=2016-12-29 |access-date=2017-01-20}}</ref><ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Sandomir |title=Robert L. Hulseman, Inventor of the Solo Cup, Dies at 84 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/business/robert-hulseman-dead-red-solo-cup.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 30, 2016 |access-date=2017-01-20}}</ref>

==History== thumb|upright|A basic 16 ounce (473 mL) Solo cup [[Image:Dixie Cup 20090904.jpg|thumb|upright| The world's largest "paper" cup in front of what was once the Lily-Tulip manufacturing company, later Sweetheart Cup Company<ref>[http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/postcards/lily-tulip_cup_corporation.cfm Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation], Springfield-Greene County Library, Springfield, Missouri</ref> which was in turn acquired by Solo. Actually made of poured concrete, the cup stands about {{convert|68.1|ft}} tall.]]

Leo Hulseman, a former employee of the Dixie Co. in the 1930s, created a paper cone he made at his home and sold to bottled-water companies. His invention was part of a movement to move communities away from unsafe shared drinking devices and toward single-use containers for personal use. Formed in 1936 as Paper Container Manufacturing, its first facility was an old ice plant at 75th Street and East End Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Loerzel |first=Robert |title=The History of the Solo Cup, From the South Side to Star Wars |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/May-2018/The-History-of-the-Solo-Cup-From-the-South-Side-to-Star-Wars/ |access-date=2025-11-25 |website=Chicago Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

To make the cups, Hulseman relied on an automatic paper-cup-making machine invented by George Method Merta. It could churn out 250 cups a minute from a roll of paper. It was Merta's wife, Bozena, who named the cup Solo, after its purpose as a one-use disposable container. He bought the machine from its inventor in 1940.<ref name=":4" /> The company found early success thanks to World War II. During the war, glass and labor were at a premium, so restaurants found it economical to use disposable cups.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 9, 1989 |title=DEATHS |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1989/09/20/deaths/7637b7e4-1abf-4191-ad1b-a3a7d9979b90/ |access-date=2025-11-24 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

Later the company developed other products. Wax-coated cups were added to its lineup in the 1950s, just as fountain sodas and drive-in movie theaters gained popularity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Borrelli |first=Christopher |date=2018-07-02 |title=That red plastic cup is a Chicago original. Proceed to party. |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2018/07/02/that-red-plastic-cup-is-a-chicago-original-proceed-to-party/ |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> The Cozy Cup, a disposable, single-use insert placed inside a reusable coffee cup holder, was released in the 1960s.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Solo History |url=http://solocup.com/solo-history |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20140209140452/http://solocup.com/solo-history |archive-date=2014-02-09 |access-date=2025-11-26 |website=www.solocup.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>

In the 1970s, Hulseman's son, Robert Leo Hulseman, came up with the now-ubiquitous red Solo cup. It initially was produced in peach, yellow, and blue as well, but red sold best. The cups are made of thick, molded polystyrene. They are known for being able to withstand drops, easily stackable, and disposable while price accessible.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Doug Criss |title=Pour one out: The inventor of the red Solo cup has died |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/29/health/red-solo-cup-death-trnd/index.html |date=December 29, 2016 |publisher=CNN |access-date=December 29, 2016}}</ref> Robert replaced his father as president in 1980.<ref name=":0" /> In 1986, the company filed a patent for its iconic Solo Traveler lid.<ref name="Fast Company22">{{Cite news |last=Bostwick |first=William |date=2010-03-05 |title=Consider the Coffee Cup Lid: Designers Swoon for Solo |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/1571973/consider-coffee-cup-lid-designers-swoon-solo |access-date=2016-11-10 |publisher=Fast Company}}</ref> It was designed to accommodate the nose and lip of a drinker, while also providing enough room for foamed drinks.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> In 1987, Solo gained Starbucks as a customer, supplying the coffee shop with plastic dome lids.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Michael Y. |date=May 30, 2014 |title=A Brief History of the Disposable Coffee Cup |url=http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/disposable-coffee-cup-history |access-date=2016-11-10 |magazine=Bon Appétit}}</ref>

In 1998, Solo acquired Clear Shield National from Envirodyne Industries for $140 million. The unit made made disposable plastic cutlery and drinking straws.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1998-06-09 |title=COMPANY NEWS; ENVIRODYNE AGREES TO SELL PLASTICS UNIT TO SOLO CUP |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/09/business/company-news-envirodyne-agrees-to-sell-plastics-unit-to-solo-cup.html |access-date=2025-11-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref>

In 2000, Solo Cup Europe was established to sell products abroad.<ref name=":5" /> In 2001, Solo expanded into Asia with the purchase of Tokyo's Sanyo Pax Co. Ltd., in a deal worth more than $16 million. The company gained five manufacturing plants in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miel |first=Rhoda |date=April 23, 2001 |title=Sanyo Pax Co. is going Solo |url=https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20010423/NEWS/304239998/sanyo-pax-co-is-going-solo/ |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=Plastics News |language=en}}</ref>

On March 1, 2004, Solo acquired Sweetheart Cup Company for $917.2 million, adding its Sweetheart cups, Hoffmaster napkins, and Fonda Brands plates to its portfolio.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-12-23 |title=COMPANY BRIEFS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/23/business/company-briefs-675636.html |access-date=2025-11-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref> Vestar Capital Partners invested $240 million to fund the transaction, receiving a minority ownership stake in return.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Jennifer |date=2013-01-04 |title=Kohlberg buys Solo Cup division for $170m(3) |url=https://www.privateequityinternational.com/kohlberg-buys-solo-cup-division-for-170m3/ |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=Private Equity International |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2007-01-06 |title=Solo Cup slips out of family's hands |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20070106/ISSUE01/100027058/solo-cup-slips-out-of-family-s-hands |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=Crain's Chicago Business |language=en-US}}</ref> Three facilities in the Chicago area were closed and operations were consolidated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tita |first=Bob |date=September 27, 2004 |title=Solo to close, consolidate three Chicago-area plants |url=https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20040927/NEWS/309279966/solo-to-close-consolidate-three-chicago-area-plants/ |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=Plastics News |language=en}}</ref> It also purchased the Sherri Cup Company in 2005, gaining ownership over the famous Anthora coffee cup design.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geier |first=Stephanie |date=2017-06-21 |title=The Story Behind the Famous NYC Greek Coffee Cups |url=https://www.untappedcities.com/nyc-fun-facts-the-story-behind-the-famous-greek-coffee-cups/ |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=Untapped New York |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Fox |first=Margalit |date=2010-04-30 |title=Leslie Buck, Designer of Iconic Coffee Cup, Dies at 87 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/nyregion/30buck.html |access-date=2025-11-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref>

However, integration of Sweetheart proved difficult, and Solo struggled financially. The problems were compounded by an increase in the cost of fuel and raw material, like plastic resin. By March 2006, Solo Cup was $1.1 billion in debt. In August, Robert Hulseman stepped down as chief executive. His replacement removed several executives and uncovered accounting irregularities. Moody's and Standard & Poor's lowered the company's credit ratings.<ref name="Lambert">{{cite news |last=Lambert |first=Emily |date=November 17, 2006 |title=Party's Over |url=https://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2006/1127/158.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625011328/http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2006/1127/158.html |archive-date=June 25, 2007 |access-date=January 28, 2014 |work=Forbes}}</ref><ref name="Yue">{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=9999200022535 |title=S&P cuts Solo Cup's credit rating |last1=Yue |first1=Lorene |last2=Merrion |first2=Paul |date=October 20, 2006 |work=Crain's Chicago Business |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref> After three years of losses, Vestar took control of the company's board and removed Robert Hulseman as chairman at the end of the year.<ref name=":2" /> In 2007, Solo sold its Hoffmaster business to Kohlberg & Company for $170 million.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dealbook |date=2007-09-11 |title=Kohlberg & Company to Buy a Unit of Solo Cup |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/kkr-to-buy-unit-of-solo-cup/ |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref>

In 2008, Solo debuted its Bare line, which offered single-use products made of recycled, recyclable, compostable or renewable materials.<ref name=":5" /> Solo Cup Company closed its longstanding facility in Highland Park, Illinois, in December 2009 and relocated its headquarters to Lake Forest, Illinois.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-09-15 |title=Solo to shut factory, cut jobs, move HQ |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20080915/CRED03/200031005/solo-to-shut-factory-cut-jobs-move-hq |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=Crain's Chicago Business |language=en-US}}</ref>

In April 2010, Solo acquired take-out container manufacturer InnoWare Plastic Inc. for $24 million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 1, 2010 |title=Solo buys InnoWare Plastic for $24 million |url=https://www.plasticstoday.com/plastics-processing/solo-buys-innoware-plastic-for-24-million |access-date=November 26, 2025 |website=Plastics Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hockensmith |first=Dan |date=April 5, 2010 |title=Solo Cup pays $24 million for Innoware |url=https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20100405/NEWS/304059990/solo-cup-pays-24-million-for-innoware/ |access-date=2025-11-26 |website=Plastics News |language=en}}</ref> Its line of specialty and custom-embossed take-out containers was rebranded as Creative Carryouts under new ownership.<ref name=":5" /> In June, Solo announced it would shut down Sweetheart's Owings Mills, Maryland facility in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-06-08 |title=Solo Cup says it will shut Owings Mills facility in 2012 |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2010/06/08/solo-cup-says-it-will-shut-owings-mills-facility-in-2012/ |access-date=2025-11-27 |website=Baltimore Sun |language=en-US}}</ref> On May 4, 2012, Solo Cup Company was acquired by Dart Container for $1 billion.<ref name="Dart" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lauzon |first=Michael |date=March 26, 2012 |title=Dart paying $1 billion for Solo Cup |url=https://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20120326/NEWS/303269969/dart-paying-1-billion-for-solo-cup/ |access-date=2025-11-24 |website=Plastics News |language=en}}</ref>

==Advertising ==

===Dora Hall===  thumb|upright|Dora Hall performing in the 1971 television special ''Once Upon a Tour''. The wife of company founder Leo Hulseman (1898–1989) was Dorothy Donahoe Hulseman (1900–1988), better known by her stage name Dora Hall. She was a vaudeville performer in her youth but returned to singing after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1959. Hulseman had her record 45 rpm records and packaged them with Solo cups as a promotion. At least one early record ("Hello Faithless", written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and arranged by Don Ralke) charted on various radio stations in the US, Canada, and the UK,<ref>{{Cite web | title=ARSA {{!}} About This Site | url=http://las-solanas.com/arsa/singles_charts.php?hs=32892 | access-date=2024-12-26 | website=las-solanas.com}}</ref> although it failed to make the national charts in any country.

Solo Cup produced syndicated television specials in 1971 and 1979, starring Dora Hall alongside Frank Sinatra Jr., Rich Little, and Scatman Crothers. Hulseman used these shows to trade TV ads for shelf placement at grocery stores.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Lambert" /> Her songs are found on the Premore, Reinbeau, and Cozy Records labels.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |title=DORA'S WORLD: The Unofficial DORA HALL Website |url=http://www.dorahall.tvheaven.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114010917/http://www.dorahall.tvheaven.com/ |archive-date=January 14, 2016 |access-date=November 23, 2025 |website=www.dorahall.tvheaven.com}}</ref>

===''Solo'' film=== The 2018 Star Wars film ''Solo'' was given the codename Red Cup during production, in reference to the red Solo cup. The company's cups were also packaged with images from the movie. A scale model of the Millennium Falcon was created out of red Solo cups for the movie's premiere.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2018 |title=Artists Build a Millennium Falcon from Solo Cups on The Star Wars Show |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/artists-build-a-millennium-falcon-from-solo-cups-on-the-star-wars-show |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250906095302/https://www.starwars.com/news/artists-build-a-millennium-falcon-from-solo-cups-on-the-star-wars-show |archive-date=2025-09-06 |access-date=2025-11-25 |website=StarWars.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Cultural significance== ===Red Solo cup=== Over decades, the company's red Solo cup has become associated with underage drinking. The red plastic cups are notably used in American college and university games such as beer pong and flip cup.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wilkins |first=Ernest |date=October 26, 2011 |title=Solo cup love affair |url=http://articles.redeyechicago.com/2011-10-26/news/30451490_1_flip-cup-pong-75th-anniversary |access-date=January 28, 2014 |work=RedEye |location=Chicago}}</ref><ref name="Stevenson2">{{cite web |last=Stevenson |first=Seth |date=October 10, 2011 |title=Red Solo Cup: How Solo's disposable drink vessel became an American party staple |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/business/branded/2011/10/red_cups_how_solo_s_disposable_drinking_vessel_became_an_america.html |access-date=January 28, 2014 |publisher=Slate}}</ref> However, the company did not embrace this image, refusing to place red cups in movies or TV shows, and choosing not to package in ping pong balls or game rules.<ref name=":0" /> The company's "Up For Anything" campaign in the 2010s allowed Solo to split the difference and give all customers the experience they wanted.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Calum |date=2016-06-17 |title=A Brief History of the Red Solo Cup, Everyone's Favorite Party Staple |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/history-of-red-solo-cup/ |access-date=2025-11-27 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref>

There is a widely held belief, especially prevalent on the internet,<ref>{{cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brooke |date=January 24, 2024 |title=What are the red Solo cup lines for? Here's the truth behind the myth |url=https://nypost.com/2024/01/24/lifestyle/what-are-the-red-solo-cup-lines-for-heres-the-truth-behind-the-myth/ |access-date=March 25, 2024 |website=New York Post |location=}}</ref> that the horizontal rings on a traditional 16 ounce (originally 18 ounce) Solo cup are intended to represent the standard volume for various alcoholic drinks. Specifically, indentations at approximately 1, 5, and 12 ounce levels are believed to denote recommended pours for hard liquor, wine, and beer, respectively. However, Solo refutes this claim, stating that the markings are open to interpretation and noting that many of their cup designs do not have these specific indented rings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Solo Cup Website FAQ Page |url=https://www.solocup.com/contact-us/ |access-date=March 25, 2024}}</ref> Additionally, Dart Container Corporation emphasizes the functionality of the lines in physical performance of the cups over unintended coincidental measurement lines.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mikkelson |first=David |date=June 10, 2012 |title=Why Do Red Solo Cups Have 'Measuring Lines'? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/solo-cup-markings/ |access-date=March 25, 2024 |website=Snopes}}</ref>

The red party cup accounts for 60% of Solo party cup sales, outselling the blue variety by a wide margin.<ref name="Stevenson2" /> Solo has tweaked the design of its cup, adding indented grooves in 2003 and making its base squared in 2009.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Stevenson2" /> In part because of its cultural significance, many other manufacturers now produce similar looking red cups.

Solo Cup was offered an opportunity to acquire the novelty song "Red Solo Cup" but refused.<ref name=":0" /> Toby Keith ultimately went on to record the 2011 country music song "Red Solo Cup".<ref name="Stevenson2" /><ref>{{cite news |date=November 16, 2011 |title=Toby Keith's 'Red Solo Cup' song - stupid or awesome? |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/11/toby-keiths-red-solo-cup-song---stupid-or-awesome/1 |access-date=19 November 2011 |work=USA Today}}</ref>

===Other designs=== The company is also known for its Jazz cup design, acquired through Sweetheart and sometimes known as "Solo Jazz".<ref>{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Kate |title=The World Now Knows Who Created This Iconic '90s Solo Cup Pattern |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247592 |website=Entrepreneur |date=June 22, 2015 |access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> In 2004, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City added a Solo Cup Traveler's Lid to its "Humble Masterpieces" exhibit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Humble Masterpieces {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/124 |access-date=2025-11-26 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> The lid was featured because it symbolized innovation and progress in basic product design.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Pagan |date=2013-10-25 |title=Who Made That Coffee Lid? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/magazine/who-made-that-coffee-lid.html |access-date=2016-11-10 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name="Fast Company22" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Twilley |first=Nicola |title=The Rise of the Plastic, Disposable Coffee Cup Lid |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/05/the-rise-of-the-plastic-disposable-coffee-cup-lid/238573/ |access-date=2016-11-10 |newspaper=The Atlantic}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Stinson |first=Liz |title=A Redesigned Coffee Lid That Totally Changes the Drinking Experience |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/06/a-redesigned-coffee-lid-that-totally-changes-the-drinking-experience/ |access-date=2016-11-10 |publisher=Wired}}</ref>

==See also== * "Red Solo Cup", a Toby Keith song named after the company

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

== External links == {{commons category}} *{{official website|https://www.solocup.com/}} *[https://www.solocup.com/about/ Company's history timeline] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060213174927/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/snapshots/3976.html CNN Money profile]

Category:Manufacturing companies based in Illinois Category:Privately held companies based in Illinois Category:Companies based in Lake Forest, Illinois Category:American companies established in 1936 Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1936 Category:1936 establishments in Illinois Category:2012 mergers and acquisitions Category:Kitchenware brands