****This is a continuation from part one of the article: Saddleback Leather – New and Improved
The word “artisan” to describe consumer brands has lately become as ubiquitous in PR copy as the word “luxury” — it’s gotten to the point where you can’t swing a faux-mink wrap in a crowded e-shop without hitting one or the other, if not both. For instance, I ran across a recent article that used the word “luxury” to describe . . . a new Downey fabric softener. Uh-huh, sure. Whatever.
So I wasn’t too surprised when I visited the Saddleback Leather Company’s website and found them bandying the “artisan” word about, too: “Near the end of last year, we decided to make our own leather briefcases, backpacks, bags and luggage instead of having them made by someone else . . . We hired an organized and structured Dutchman and empowered him to pull together a handful of artisans experienced in leatherwork.”
Fine, the word “artisan” has become a 21st century catch-all term with a vague and somewhat broad-ranging definition (a friend on Facebook said that she thinks of the Grimm Brothers fairy tale “The Elves and the Shoemaker” when she hears something described as artisanal), but does the word “artisan” really fit when you have a U.S. company producing thousands upon thousands of look-alike leather bags utilizing assembly-line production techniques in a factory in Mexico?
The medium briefcase in Chestnut, in a relaxed pose
Sure, running your own production facility in Mexico makes great business sense — you pay a higher-than-average wage to your workers while still paying less than you would if you were making your bags in, say, Italy or the United States, and while this makes for a happy workforce (plus keeping overall costs under control), does it strain the boundaries of what it means to be a self-described small family business employing a team of artisans?
Or am I scratching too hard at the surface of things? Does it even really matter — I mean, it’s not as if Saddleback is running ads implying that everything’s handmade, right?
And it’s not like Saddleback founder Dave Munson doesn’t have a lot to be proud of, starting the company on his own, from scratch, with just an idea for a bag, a run-down flat in Juarez, Mexico and his dog Blue at his side — growing the venture into a flourishing, independent leather goods company while living off rice and beans and the occasional Western Union wire from a friend or relative. But the one thing Munson is especially proud of is how his company treats their workers, offering higher than average wages and better than the norm working conditions that he believes have a noticeable effect on the quality of the company’s end product.
“If (the workers) know that you care about them and you pay them better than they’ve ever been paid in their lives, and you make their workplace very cool and safe and comfortable, quality goes up,” he responded, when I asked about his company’s recent reorganization and its impact on the overall quality of Saddleback products. “All of a sudden, they do quality work because they care about us, too.”
*NOTE: True Blue Production is the name of the dedicated Saddleback production facility in Mexico where they produce all their own goods. They also produce leather goods for other companies, as well, though Munson stated that they’re very picky about who they’ll work with: “Life’s short, so we only work with nice people,” he explained. “If they’re jerks, they’ll need to change or be let go.”
Which, when all things are considered, is great news. After reading a spate of articles about workers protesting sub-standard wages and working conditions in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Mozambique, South Africa, China and India, it’s refreshing to hear of a company locating its manufacturing facilities in a lesser regulated country yet still valuing the labor force and providing excellent working conditions.
A peek at that interior pigskin lining
But what happened with Saddleback between 2007 (when I purchased a briefcase that I had to return due to less than impressive workmanship) and now? How did they go from a Cool But Kind of Sloppy Product backed by Iffy Customer Service to a growing, thriving company that’s selling around the world and getting positive reviews across the net? That’s what I most wanted to know, and when I asked Dave Munson that exact question, he said the answer was business coach Chuck Bowen.
“I was a horrible manager of people and so I pretty much offended all the family members working with us,” said Dave. “Chuck stepped in and helped me to delegate away the responsibilities that I wasn’t good at, and got me working almost completely in the areas I gravitated towards and was gifted at.”
Munson mentioned that family pressures within the small company were getting too intense for he and his wife to deal with on their own, so they contacted Chuck Bowen in 2008 and gave him the authority to hire, fire and shuffle people around the company structure as he saw fit. This put a necessary buffer between valued family relationships and the hard business decisions that needed to be made as Bowen shifted responsibility and authority to where it was handled best, ultimately transforming Saddleback Leather into a much more enjoyable and healthy work environment for everyone involved.
Funny thing, though — Bowen, who’s had over seventeen years of corporate experience, liked his coaching stint with the Saddleback company so much that he became a near full partner in their operations, establishing the True Blue Production facility with Munson and getting Saddleback in gear to meet a ramped-up business model capable of producing an improved product for a growing consumer audience.
“Sales have definitely increased,” said Dave, when asked how the business has been doing since the onset of the global economic contraction in 2008. “But it’s hard to tell how much of an impact the recession has had on us. In 2009, we were very blessed to sell significantly more bags than in 2008. So far in 2010, we’ve had a similar growth curve.”
A growth curve that he attributes to good word of mouth and a very loyal core group of customers. But hang on a minute! What about that sudden flurry of internet activity in mid to late 2009 that saw a flood of Saddleback product reviews as bags winged their way to reviewers left and right — that must have had something to do with keeping demand growing, right?
A rave YouTube review for the Saddleback messenger bag from June 2009
Because up until mid 2009, there wasn’t much chatter on tech, gadget and product sites about the Saddleback company, but starting in June of that year, things really started to percolate as bags were shipped to influential blogs like Boing Boing, Gadget Review, Wired, Slash Gear and more.
“It’s all my brother’s fault,” declared Munson. “Jonathan came on board the company about that time and really does well with relationships . . . A lot of people have done reviews just because they LOVE their bags … (but) he connects with folks and gets involved in forums . . . and then when he sees an opportunity to get more word of mouth going out about us, he takes it.”
The company has also recently brought Ryan Barr on board to help out with business development and outreach (Dave describes Ryan as “like a rockstar, minus the intravenous drug use and womanizing”), so they’re obviously taking the “Rise of the Blogger” message seriously. Yet along with every success story in the leather goods business comes the dark spectre of counterfeiting, and on March 6th of this year, Munson wrote on the company blog that they’d just joined the hallowed ranks of Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Rolex through the dubious distinction of getting ripped-off and faked-out.
“It’s the only club of its kind that every company wishes they were in, but none want to be invited to,” wrote Dave, with what seemed like a dash of rue. “Those of us who are members affectionately call ourselves the ‘Being Knocked Off’ club.”
But one thing in Saddleback’s favor when it comes to battling counterfeiters is that they’re an Internet only company — they don’t sell any of their products in brick-and-mortar stores, and no third-party reseller holds any license to sell their bags, so it’s easy enough to avoid falling for the Fake Bag trap in this case: “The way to protect yourself from buying a counterfeit Saddleback bag that won’t fall apart at the seams is by buying it from the Saddleback Leather website,” said Munson. “There are a number of knock-off artists selling our exact designs and their retail prices are pretty much what our materials alone cost,” he added. “(But) most educated people know that you get what you pay for, and our prices aren’t artificially inflated to try to make people think that we’re quality.”
In other words, they’re a small group of honest people just trying to make a living by producing the best product they reasonably can at a price they think is affordable. A Saddleback Bag isn’t going to sit next to a classic (albeit overpriced) Bottega Veneta briefcase, or even the beautifully handmade Waldenbags model (created start to finish by just one man), and outclass the competition, but it’s not meant to, either. Put it up against a similar product range at its own price point, however, and it easily holds its own — and they have the satisfied customer track records to prove it.
“We have one customer who’s bought more than twenty-five pieces for themselves and for friends, because they love our quality and style,” said Dave. “Too many people depend on us, so trying to make a quick buck by cheating people isn’t an option.”
One, two, buckle my . . . uh, briefcase?
*NOTE 2: The bag shown in the photos was provided free of charge from the Saddleback Leather Company. It has some minor scuffing and marking, and no tags, but it’s essentially brand new and never been used, and I’m going to offer it as a giveaway to one of my readers. So if you want this Saddleback briefcase, all you have to do is leave the most convincing argument (along with your name and State/City of residence) in the comment section, in five (5) sentences or less, as to why *YOU* deserve a new six and a half pound (6.5lb) Saddleback Leather bag. The judging will be totally subjective and absolutely unfair, so get cracking and, above all, get creative!
The giveaway offer ends Friday, September 10th, and due to the value and weight of the bag, is open to U.S. residents only (international shipping and insurance would be more than I’m willing to bear, my apologies). Oh, and you can find more information about the specific bag offered by visiting the Saddleback Leather Company website at the following link: Medium Briefcase in Chestnut Leather.
You can also find out more information about the Saddleback Leather Company itself at their Facebook and Twitter pages. Good luck!
*UPDATE (09/13/10): This was a difficult decision, and I wish I had a briefcase to hand out to every single person who left a comment or an email, but as a man of great wisdom once said, “There can be only one!” (besides, the several of you who didn’t leave me any contact info via email, Twitter or Facebook helped narrowed the field by default). So Adam Sorenson, the guy with his own devoted cheering section (and how could anyone say “no” to that?), it’s yours. May all your wind-swept Nebraskan days be bright.
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