Sorensen formed Java Jacket in 1993 and it was an instant hit. His wife Colleen also worked for the business.[3][7]
Today, Java Jacket sells over one billion coffee cup sleeves a year.[2]
Sorensen offered the product to Starbucks, which had interest in the product, but Sorensen did not accept the conditions of operating- Starbucks demanded exclusive rights and spent eight months "dragging its feet" about the product, wanting alterations and trying to "play hardball on price".[3][8][9]
A patent war began between Java Jacket and Starbucks; Sorensen called the Starbucks version "a direct infringement of ours" and filed a cease-and-desist order. Designing around Sorensen's patents, Starbucks was eventually able to create the Coffee Clutch, a product like the Java Jacket.[3][10]