This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 81st year of True Caliber (True Residential & Caliber)—a shining example of American ingenuity with a solid foundation that rests on family, community, and advancement.
Family-owned and operated since 1945, the Trulaske Family developed a commercial refrigeration company out of their St. Louis garage. They soon began manufacturing wrapped rail roll-top bottle coolers for beer and beverages, and sold their first major order of units to 7-Up in 1948 (all the result of a 7-Up salesman stopping for a surprisingly cold drink at a St. Louis bar). The pivotal deal put True on the map and cemented the roll top cooler’s ubiquity for years to come.
Driven by that same entrepreneurial spirit, True Manufacturing continued to grow and evolve, leading to the 2008 launch of its luxury home refrigeration line—then known as True Residential. With an emphasis on durability and craftsmanship, the brand handcrafts each unit at its 200,000-square-foot O’Fallon, Mo., headquarters, utilizing the highest quality commercial-grade steel, performance-engineered components, and environmentally responsible refrigerants and refrigeration systems that boast shorter run times, lower energy consumption, and the industry’s coldest holding temperatures (more stats can be found here).
With fourth-generation family members Steven Trulaske Jr. (Caliber Sales & Marketing Manager, True Caliber) and Kay Trulaske (True Caliber Brand Manager) guiding the company’s evolution alongside their father, True has expanded into a robust residential lineup of full-size refrigerators, wine cabinets, and indoor/outdoor undercounter units. They have also ushered the brand into a dynamic new era through a strategic partnership with American outdoor cooking brand Caliber to offer a standout collection of grills. This new venture culminated in a rebrand to True Caliber, underscoring the brand’s commercial-grade cooling and precision grilling expertise — marking an exciting new chapter in True’s 81-year legacy of American-made appliance innovation.
