SL: I’d like to start with the notion of “Made in America,” as that is one of the main reasons I was drawn to you guys in the first place.

Nathan: I think that originally Ben and I were both coming at this - and I don’t want to limit it by saying side project but it was definitely something we were doing along side the other stuff we do - and when we started outlining the parameters for this there were some concerns for us that sort of represented the paradigm shift towards thinking about making product on the level we’d like to see them built. The quality and the control. I don’t necessarily have a problem with companies like Patagonia or Surly farming out their product overseas, but that’s different from what we could do as a small company, where it would be impossible to oversee environmental and product control.

Ben: The other part of that is that we had no interest in it either. We wanted people to know how important it is for us to support US manufacturing and the lack thereof. If things continue to go the direction they are going, we could potentially have no products made in America. I think it is important for us to take control of that. I see that Jeff Staple has produced a line of button down shirts made in New York. Steven Allen makes some clothing in New York. Freeman Sporting Club makes most of their clothing in New York. Band of Outsiders, Thom Brown, Engineered Garments. I just saw that Huf did a bunch of his cut and sew in America. So that’s really nice. That’s not to say we don’t see both sides of the conversation and recognize the challenges and limitations. I mean after all, there are certain things that just can’t be made here anymore. And also make no mistake we have tons of respect for Surly - or any of the brands offering lower price points on bikes. At the end of the day they get people on bikes, which is really important. What we’re trying to do is create a unique product that focuses on quality and local manufacturing. Wouldn’t you say, Nathan?

Nathan: Absolutely. At the same time, I think we would rather create a small company. If we were trying to blow up, and pump out 500,000 bikes a year, it would be an entirely different conversation. The only way for us to approach it at this level is to take full control.

Ben: The first two bikes that we built were made by a builder who lived two blocks away from me. I could go down and talk to him about the design and production. Now our bikes are being made in Minneapolis, Nathan can now go down the street and make decisions with the builder. I’m not sure you could have that relationship if your production wasn’t local. Maybe you could, I just don’t know.

Nathan: And that element is huge, that we are able to develop relationships with small producers. It’s a real pleasure. Working directly with people on this kind of stuff, we couldn’t do it without being so hands on.

SL: Let’s talk a little about how some of these ideas play out in the ancillary product, where I think it is immediately apparent that the things are made in America. I think that while it might be hard for some people to wrap their heads around how a bike is built - and hopefully our photo portion of the feature will solve that - it’s more clear in the case of a passport case or sock. How did you choose the people you did for each product, and if it’s viewed as collaborative effort or an effort in sourcing within the United States?

Ben: These people were chosen because they were leaders in both design and manufacturing. Not to take anything away from design, but we were really looking to them because they had the infrastructure and relationships set up to do what we wanted to do and we were able to make contact with them. For instance, we wanted to do ball caps, but we weren’t looking to do a $10,000 order. You call New Era and if you are lucky you might get a call back… oh and by the way there is a $10,000 minimum order. I all of a sudden see that Brett is doing amazing stuff in Los Angeles. Turns out his minimums are quite low and he is happy to work with us. I pick up the phone and we’re in business. We can do a limited run, but also produce a product with a lower up front cost. Same thing goes for Billy Kirk. They are doing amazing stuff, they have a whole crew of people working with them. These have been great opportunity and in turn great new friends.

Nathan: You know, I think both Ben and I had an idea that we’d make things that reflected the quality of things that were familiar to us in our environment, in Montana. We kind of look around to some of the guys, like Billy Kirk, and we don’t need to describe what we need, they know intuitively.

Ben: From the beginning of the project, we wanted it to be evident that you feel the hand of the maker in our products. Whether it’s the hand drawn lettering on the logo by Benny, or the stitching on the Billy Kirk products. When you pick up the hat, you can feel someone made it with care and thought. Some of the threads are imperfect in character and that’s ok. It really connects you to the person who made it. Look at the card case or passport wallet and you get a sense of the hand that made it.

Nathan: And it ages with time and become really lovely… very warm and personal.