FRIO UK Ltd
Each Wallet is Manufactured by Hand in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
FRIO Lifestyle Blossom Wallet Suitable For A Number of Medications
Imagine inventing a product that prevents millions of people with diabetes from suffering potentially dangerous hypoglycaemic shocks. Picture developing that product on your kitchen table, getting it patented and, just over two decades later, seeing it exported to over 70 countries worldwide. This is the story of the FRIO Cooling Wallet, a homegrown invention that has become a major export success and made a worldwide impact. Its inventor was the late Garnet Wolsey, a farmer in West Wales, who, with his late wife Althea, developed the world’s first patented insulin- cooling wallet, the FRIO. In 1996, they launched the FRIO, and 27 years later, with their son Chris at helm, the company has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise in international trade. Origins at the Atlanta Olympics The FRIO story dates back to the early 1990s when the Wolseys’ youngest daughter, Helen, competed in the sweltering heat of the 1991 World Powerlifting Championships in New Delhi. Learning about the difficulties athletes faced when competing in the heat, the couple worked
with scientists to develop cooling headbands and wristbands. Activated by water, these bands could be used repeatedly. By 1996, these cooling bands were used by the British Olympic and Paralympic teams in Atlanta. Following a discussion with a family friend about the need to keep insulin cool, the Wolseys realised their cooling technology could meet the needs of people with diabetes. If not kept cool, in-use insulin degrades and crystallises, making it less effective for maintaining insulin levels, with dangerous consequences. Simplicity in design The best inventions are often the simplest, and this is true of the FRIO. It requires no batteries and depends only on water. FRIO wallets work through evaporation, ensuring their contents are kept cool and safe. Each pouch consists of an inner wallet and an outer cover. The inner wallet contains crystals that activate when immersed in water, expanding into a gel. When the gel begins to evaporate it immediately emits a cooling affect on the medication housed in the FRIO Wallet.
The Original Duo Blue FRIO Wallet
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