From South Africa to Harrods: The story of cooler box brand Fieldbar
Fieldbar has reinvented the traditional cooler box. We speak to CEO Lee Hartman about the company’s early days and manufacturing challenges.
Our new book, How we made it in Africa II: Real stories of entrepreneurs turning opportunity into profit, is available here. The book was recently shortlisted for the Business Council for Africa (BCA) African Business Book of the Year Awards 2026.
Interview with Lee Hartman
FOUNDER AND CEO, FIELDBAR
Lives in: South Africa
“London called, we answered. Fieldbar now available in a little store you might have heard of. Harrods.” This Instagram post by South African cooler box maker Fieldbar in July of last year announced the company’s expansion to the renowned British department store.
Founded in 2018, Fieldbar has reinvented the traditional cooler box, leading to an investment from Invenfin, the venture capital arm of South African group Remgro. Jaco Maritz interviewed founder and CEO Lee Hartman to learn about the company’s early days, manufacturing challenges, and its branding and design strategy.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to How we made it in Africa to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.