Who are we?

Where do we come from?

The Great American Rain Barrel Company began back in the late eighties. Two local school teachers came up with the idea to recycle barrels into a water collection device modeled after those they had seen in English Gardens. At that time my husband, George, and I owned and a food importing business in Boston.  When the two teachers came to us looking for the perfect barrel, they knew they were at the right place. The barrel they selected was a large 60 gallon drum that brought olives from Spain. The olives were shipped and sometimes even cured in the barrels, spending anywhere from 6 months to two years, in these barrels. Given the natural synergy with our import business and the environmental implications the Great American Rain Barrel Company was formed. We were just doing what we thought was right. We couldn’t imagine chipping up all those barrels and sending them to some landfill somewhere. In recent years, with extreme droughts, severe water restrictions and greater  environmental awareness and the support of our customers our rain barrel business has blossomed.

Thank you for visiting us at our website and we hope that you find our barrels to your satisfaction.

Suzanne Gebelein