Our mission is to refocus American manufacturing by locally sourcing pure, natural ingredients that support sustainable farming practices in order to produce the highest quality handcrafted, artisanal products possible. We personally hand-pour all of our products.
We are as energy efficient as possible, sourcing ingredients from as nearby as will allow. If something isn't available in our backyard, we will look to the next closest locale. In certain instances we will search afar for high quality ingredients when none are available locally or regionally. For example, we source beeswax from beekeepers in the Hudson Valley, NY, orange oil from American family groves and carnauba wax from organic Brazilian farmers (carnauba wax, like coffee, is only cultivated in equatorial parts of the world; read below to find out more about this intriguing plant!).
We use minimal, high-recyclable-content packaging.
We have essentially zero waste. Since we do not use any harsh chemicals, any "waste" is diverted to our garden or compost system, if not recycled.
We do not like synthetic chemicals, parabens, phthalates, or petroleum derivatives and are very happy to use the following all natural ingredients in our products.
Beeswax: Much the same way turpentine has become a byproduct of the timber industry, beeswax has become a byproduct of honey. As such, the bees are not always treated the same from apiary to apiary. We take pride in the fact that we source organic beeswax, ethically gathered from bees raised here in the USA.
Copernicia cerifera: A special plant in that it has been cultivated all over the world, but only produces a unique wax when grown in its native Brazilian habitat. We source organic carnauba wax, which, in combination with the other ingredients in our leather waxes creates not only a controllable shine, but also a natural hydrophobic barrier to help keep leather protected without the use of silicone or other artificial chemicals.
Dyes: To add those lovely shades to our boot wax, we use completely natural and abundant pigments gathered straight from the earth, which artists and craftspeople have been using for tens of thousands of years (think cave paintings!). Nothing synthetic here.
Lanolin: Highly beneficial wax extracted from shorn wool before spinning.
Limnanthes Alba Oil: If you are on the west coast and ever have the opportunity to visit a meadowfoam field during blossoming season, take it! The oil pressed from the seeds of these beautiful flowers, known as meadowfoam seed oil, contains a high number of long chain fatty acids, making it a highly prized oil.
Citrus Sinensis Oil: An essential oil, derived from cold-pressing orange rinds that acts as a carrier in our leather wax. Smells delicious and works wonders. We are happy to source all of our orange oil from Florida oranges.
Rhus Succedanea Fruit Wax: Also known as sumac wax or japan wax, this unique vegetable wax is harvested from the berries of the Japanese Sumac and is a traditional hair styling product used by Sumo wrestlers.
Ricinus Communis Oil: Triglyceride rich castor oil contains the beautifully unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, used historically for thousands of years with hundreds of recorded uses.
Tocopherol: If you have heard of the antioxidant Vitamin E, this is it, in its natural state. Great for the skin and hair.
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil: An all natural, lightweight plant-based oil containing polyphenols, flavonoids, essential fatty acids: lauric, linoleic, myristic, oleic, palmitic, stearic, vitamin A and vitamin E, an antimicrobial antioxidant; Grapeseed oil is the perfect alternative to mineral oil, which is a petroleum byproduct commonly used for conditioning wood and bamboo cutting boards and chopping blocks.