Why are we on Kickstarter?
We need help to ensure that our boards are made from sustainable wood and, to the extent possible, made in the USA. Both of these goals require us to spend more money up front.
https://www.kickstarter.com/
We hope that by launching the right way we'll have a company on the right track from the beginning. Our goal was a modest one; we are asking for just the amount we need to get started with production here in San Diego.
Why "Made in the USA" ?
.... well, it's a longer story than a simple blog post. Here's the short version.... We live in San Diego and our family has been in California since the late 1800s. Both our great-grandfathers, and their parents (our grandparents), were small business owners who grew their businesses here in California from scratch. We want to do the same thing.
It's easy to go to China or other parts of Asia for cheaper materials. But, then we lose contact with our product and we give jobs to China when there's little reason not to keep it here.
Are we bashing China? No way. We've been there many times. In fact, our bamboo boards are still made there because we found a factory that harvested in a sustainable manner.
Why sustainable, and what does this have to do with Kickstarter?
Cheap wood is plentiful.
Kickstarter will help us make up the difference between being starting out with a US manufacturer or not. In other words, it is costing us more money to use sustainable wood and also to make at least 50% of our product in the USA. We need a little help our first year to buy sustainable wood and make our product in the USA.