Award Recipients

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.

It is reactivated by placing in water again for a shorter amount of time and can be used repeatedly. A FRIO will keep in-use insulin and other temperature sensitive medications within safe temperatures of 18-26°C (64.4-78.8°F) for a minimum of 45 hours, even in a constant environmental temperature of 37.8°C (100°F). This makes FRIO ideal for people living in hot countries, holidaymakers, or those out on warm summer days.

FRIO wallets are suitable for a range of temperature-sensitive medications and are used by people with, for example, Crohn’s, inflammatory bowel disease, anaphylaxis, asthma, glaucoma, MS, and any medication that needs to be kept below 30°C or 25°C.

A cottage industry turned international business
The FRIO story is one of a cottage industry turned into an international business. Chris Wolsey, a farmer and entrepreneur, remembers prototypes being handmade in the kitchen of his family’s farm near Haverfordwest: “There was a lot of development carried out on the kitchen table with scissors flashing and material being cut and sewn! We must have gone through hundreds of versions before resembling a wallet similar to the one we know today.”

Things took off for FRIO 18 months later when Garnet visited Lloyd’s Pharmacy and picked up a massive order for 24,000 units, with fulfilment required in just eight weeks. The family quickly scaled up production, installing four 40-foot Portacabins on the farm and employing local machinists to meet the order.

Expanding market reach
In the UK, FRIO grew quickly as more people with diabetes learned about its necessity in hot weather and when on holiday. Exports also grew, initially in mainland Europe, with strong markets in Germany, Holland and Switzerland. Chris reports that exports have progressed steadily through developing strong relationships within export markets rather than relying on big budgets.

The US proved a more challenging market. Initial advertising efforts yielded variable success until diabetic nurses in America helped open the market. One nurse’s husband, diagnosed with diabetes, later joined FRIO, building the business in the US. FRIO also established a presence in Canada and the Middle East, further expanding its reach.

Support and growth
The Welsh Government has provided significant support to FRIO, helping the company attend major pharmaceutical exhibitions and offering business and financial aid. This support enabled FRIO to establish purpose-built headquarters and a distribution centre on their farm in Haverfordwest.

Life at FRIO changed in 2011 when Garnet suffered a major stroke. Chris, then head of a successful construction company, stepped in as Managing Director of FRIO UK Ltd. Despite his condition, Garnet remained a sharp adviser until his passing in late 2018.

Design evolution and recognition
Over the years, the design of the FRIO wallet has evolved. Initially seen as a functional item in classic blue covers, recent years have seen more creative designs, with FRIO wallets becoming fashion accessories.

Receiving the King’s Award for Enterprise is a massive tribute to everyone involved with FRIO. Chris expresses pride in the recognition, noting its impact on lifting the profile of the FRIO brand globally and helping improve the lives of millions of people. He says: “It is a true honour to receive this award. I’m incredibly proud of our small team of just 15 employees, and all past employees who have worked at FRIO, together they have contributed in the success of receiving such an incredible accolade. To be able to use the King’s Award for Enterprise emblem on our products and literature for the next five years is a priceless stamp of approval and will mean the FRIO brand will be recognised even further as a trusted product.

“I am thrilled about the impact this award will have, helping us to further improve the lives of millions of people with diabetes and other medical conditions around the globe.”