Soy sauce submerges yacht for spot in Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin 2025 finals

The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin in 2025 will be custom cushions for wheelchair users, soy sauce, extraction tools or a rescue airboat.

Another upset-laden round of head-to-head votes narrowed the field from eight to four, setting up a winner-take-all popular vote to determine the winner of the annual contest launched 10 years ago to highlight the wide range of products made in Wisconsin.

Coolest Thing sponsors Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and Johnson Financial Group in an Oct. 15 livestream broadcast on Facebook and YouTube unveiled this year’s Coolest Thing trophy and the final four companies still in the running.

Here’s a look at the finalists and how they got here.

No. 3 1000 Island Airboat

The highest-ranked product to make the finals this year is 1000 Island Airboats’ 24-foot Search and Rescue airboats which are made in Marion.

The airboat defeated No. 7 The Maple Dude and his Maple Shot 10-pack of 1-ounce maple syrup shots in the prior round.

No. 5 Permobil Comfort brand custom seating system

Permobil’s line of Comfort custom seating cushions and back supports scored a major upset over No. 1 Carbliss, the no-carb, zero-sugar line of craft cocktails that were the fan-favorite heading into head-to-head voting this year.

Permobil’s Comfort line is produced in New Berlin and aims to provide comfort, mobility and dignity to people who use wheelchairs. The cushions and back support products are handcrafted to ensure precise fits.

No. 13 Kikkoman soy sauce

Kikkoman Inc. soy sauce ensured that at least one food product made it to the final four by besting No. 8 Cruisers Yachts’ 38 VTR line of powerboats manufactured in Oconto.

Kikkoman’s Walworth production facility, where it makes the popular condiment, is the largest soy sauce plant in North America.

No. 15 TNT Rescue Systems

Wisconsinites do love cheese, so it might come as a shock that No. 11 Sargento cheese did not make the final round of voting.

Instead, voters advanced TNT Rescue Systems’ line of extraction tools to the finals. Hartland-based TNT produces hydraulic hose line and battery-powered rescue tools.

When do we find out what the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin in 2025 is?

Just one round of voting left until WMC announces the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin for 2025.

Anyone can vote and you can cast one vote per day per email address while voting is open by going to madeinwis.com/contests/2025-contest.

• Oct. 16-23: Popular vote to pick the winner through noon Thursday, Oct. 23
• Oct. 23: Winner announced live during WMC’s annual Business Day event in Madison

What else has been named the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin since 2016?

WMC since 2016 has asked voters to pick a “Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin” in order to highlight the state’s manufacturing industry. Wisconsin’s more than 9,000 manufacturing companies employ about 500,000 people and contribute almost $73.7 billion to the state economy.

Here are the past winners:

• 2016: Harley-Davidson’s Milwaukee Eight Engine
• 2017: Oshkosh Corp.’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle
• 2018: De Pere-based Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe’s sea salt caramel pecan kringle
• 2019: Rice Lake-based Henry Repeating Arms’ Big Boy all-weather rifle
• 2020: Mequon-based MūL Technologies Mobile Autonomous Robotic Cart (MARC)
• 2021: Manitowoc-based Broadwind’s 140-ton Navy Crane
• 2022: Appleton-based Pierce Manufacturing’s Volterra electric fire truck
• 2023: Fox Valley-based Plexus Corp.’s Bevi Bottleless Water Dispenser
• 2024: Random Lake-based Jolly Good Soda

Contact business reporter Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Soy sauce submerges yacht for spot in Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin 2025 finals

Reporting by Jeff Bollier, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette

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