With the dog days of summer right around the corner, we all need a way to cool down.

St. Louis native Emily Vaca agrees. 

Growing up in St. Louis, Vaca spent the sunny days of her childhood splashing around in a kiddie pool in her parent’s backyard. Fast forward a few years, and she’s all grown up, living in Chicago. One sweltering day while sitting on her rooftop deck, Vaca reminisced about the kiddie pools of her past and began to innovate. Already an entrepreneur, Vaca wasn’t daunted by her budding idea: mini pools for grown ups. Thus, Minnidip was born. The new business became the star of her existing brand, La Vaca, and Minnidip's prominence and popularity skyrocketed in its first year. Now, the brand includes sprinklers, ball pits, pool floats and more. This summer, Minnidip and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream collaborated on a line of inflatables, pictured above.

Bright and fun, the energy Vaca brings to Minnidip is uplifting. A wild thought rooted in a childhood experience turned into a million-dollar brand that just keeps growing. Products are available at Target, as well as online. The brand’s popularity has caused online orders to be limited to one product per person. Get yours before they’re gone: https://www.minnidip.com/.