Place in the sun
The UQ graduate helping CoolCabanas rule the beaches
By Donna Lu
If you wander down to the beach on a warm day, chances are you’ll spot a few CoolCabanas. Increasingly, these eye-catching sun shelters in stripes and bright patterns are becoming the sight of summer.
But there’s a lean operation behind the ubiquitous beach shelters: a father-son duo who have put everything into their business since the product’s launch in 2015.
Mark Fraser, an architect, first conceived the idea while holidaying on the Sunshine Coast, sketching out the unmistakeable CoolCabanas design while sitting on the beach at Little Cove.
“It’s a simple, elegant solution to a classic problem that everyone has experienced, or at least witnessed,” son Angus Fraser (Bachelor of Commerce '19) said, referring to beach umbrellas that flip the wrong way or are pulled out of the sand in strong winds.
Five iterations later, CoolCabanas is thriving.
CoolCabanas products set up along Noosa Main Beach. Image: CoolCabanas
CoolCabanas products set up along Noosa Main Beach. Image: CoolCabanas
“The products are much bigger, they fold smaller, they’re lighter, and easier to set up,” Angus said.
“Skin-cancer awareness and sun-safety campaigns in recent years have perhaps helped drive the boom. As a young person, I can’t really imagine sitting on the beach now without a CoolCabana.”
In the early days, the company grew primarily through word of mouth, and UQ Union was a customer.
Angus said he didn’t see the UQ Union order come through, and was surprised to see 10 to 15 CoolCabanas set up for an event one day when he was walking through the Great Court.
“UQ provided a great platform and environment to learn skills that I now use day-to-day, as well as – and perhaps more importantly – to mature as a person,” Angus said.
His education in accounting and finance has been put to good use. Angus’s role at CoolCabanas has grown as the company has expanded. While his father Mark focuses on design, Angus’s remit is broad: finances, branding, marketing, and managing the website.
Demand has risen exponentially, with order volumes roughly doubling every summer.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, CoolCabanas' growth continued through 2020.
"The pandemic has accelerated global business trends, including a massive shift to online sales", Angus (pictured) said.
Through its direct-to-consumer business model, the brand was able to capitalise on ever-growing demand for their products, while avoiding the majority of the effects of the prolonged retail shutdown in the US and global supply chain issues.
“If we were a bricks-and-mortar retailer it might not have been such a great year,” Angus said.
CoolCabanas products have been sold out since Black Friday, at the end of November last year. In most styles, items are still only available for pre-order.
Hannah Beaden with her son Harrison under a CoolCabanas shelter. Images: Marc Grimwade
Hannah Beaden with her son Harrison under a CoolCabanas shelter. Images: Marc Grimwade
In addition to its Brisbane headquarters, CoolCabanas now has distribution centres in the US and the Netherlands.
The company recently launched a new product, Vento, a shade sail for extremely windy beaches. Up to five prototypes are in development at any given time.
The team is also exploring partnerships with Surf Life Saving clubs.
Despite their success, the company is still a lean outfit: only in the last six months have two employees joined Angus and Mark.
These days, Facebook is a major driver of CoolCabanas sales.
“I think that’s the same for every direct-to-consumer business,” Angus said.
The team is buoyed by feedback from their customers. Recently, they heard from a woman who described her purchase as “life-changing”.
“In 27 years, getting my husband to the beach has been a mission,” she wrote, explaining that he has a high risk of skin cancer.
The man went from going to the beach “less than once every five years” to multiple times in a fortnight, able to spend time there with his grandchildren.
“That’s an amazing feeling”, Angus said.
His education in accounting and finance has been put to good use. Angus’s role at CoolCabanas has grown as the company has expanded. While his father Mark focuses on design, Angus’s remit is broad: finances, branding, marketing, and managing the website.
Demand has risen exponentially, with order volumes roughly doubling every summer.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, CoolCabanas' growth continued through 2020.
"The pandemic has accelerated global business trends, including a massive shift to online sales", Angus (pictured) said.
Through its direct-to-consumer business model, the brand was able to capitalise on ever-growing demand for their products, while avoiding the majority of the effects of the prolonged retail shutdown in the US and global supply chain issues.
“If we were a bricks-and-mortar retailer it might not have been such a great year,” Angus said.
CoolCabanas products have been sold out since Black Friday, at the end of November last year. In most styles, items are still only available for pre-order.
Hannah Beaden with her son Harrison under a CoolCabanas shelter. Images: Marc Grimwade
Hannah Beaden with her son Harrison under a CoolCabanas shelter. Images: Marc Grimwade
In addition to its Brisbane headquarters, CoolCabanas now has distribution centres in the US and the Netherlands.
The company recently launched a new product, Vento, a shade sail for extremely windy beaches. Up to five prototypes are in development at any given time.
The team is also exploring partnerships with Surf Life Saving clubs.
Despite their success, the company is still a lean outfit: only in the last six months have two employees joined Angus and Mark.
These days, Facebook is a major driver of CoolCabanas sales.
“I think that’s the same for every direct-to-consumer business,” Angus said.
The team is buoyed by feedback from their customers. Recently, they heard from a woman who described her purchase as “life-changing”.
“In 27 years, getting my husband to the beach has been a mission,” she wrote, explaining that he has a high risk of skin cancer.
The man went from going to the beach “less than once every five years” to multiple times in a fortnight, able to spend time there with his grandchildren.
“That’s an amazing feeling”, Angus said.
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