Brothers Jeff and Spencer Jan didn't have to reinvent the wheel to build a $400 million company with a cult following. Their company, Grapevine, Texas-based Solo Brands, makes the Solo Stove — a backyard fire pit that the Jan brothers describe as a "virtually smokeless" campfire alternative. As of Tuesday morning, the company now has a $406.74 million market cap under the stewardship of CEO John Merris, who signed on in 2018 after meeting with the brothers. "I remember in that first conversation with them, Spencer and Jeff telling me that they had reinvented fire," Merris tells CNBC Make It. Then, the brothers sent Merris home with a Solo Stove — and the first time he tried it out on his Texas ranch, he was "absolutely blown away."

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