Kulkea Founder Opens up About His Invaluable Production Partners
Published by Allie Hochman
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Kulkea's Production Process Overseas
Before Kulkea’s industry-breaking bag, the Boot Trekker, hit the market in 2013, founder David Abramowitz dove headfirst into the production process. With a desire to be involved in every aspect of product development, including traveling overseas to scope out the best possible facilities and work closely with manufacturers, no act was too little or too large in his eyes.
“It took me needing to find industrial designers, graphic designers, and product prototype samplers, and eventually finding factories to make the product in,” he recalled. “We’d been through a few factories over the years, all very good factories,” David shared, but it wasn’t until 2018 that things truly took off on the production front. That marked the year where Kulkea began the golden relationship with a trustworthy, Vietnam-based team, who to this day still helps empower us all to embark on new adventures through elite gear.
The Key to a Successful Partnership - Even from Across the Globe
“This particular factory, which we’ve been with for about eight years now, is, in my opinion, the best in the world at what they do,” he exclaimed. Early on in this partnership, it was clear that “they don’t do any cheap product, it’s all premium level, all socially responsible.” To this day, David still beams with excitement, reminiscing on his initial visit; “The first time I went over to our factory and saw things on the production line at a mass level, it was just a sense of excitement, real excitement to see the quality they were doing things, how great the workmanship was, and just see things flowing.”
So, a visit to this site, no matter how long a flight it requires, is never viewed as a chore. “I’ve been going over there, barring the pandemic, at least once a year for the most part. And it’s important to go over there, work with the people,” David explained. “I know them very well now, we’ve been working together for a long time.”
And according to David, a significant part of Kulkea’s success is thanks to this incredible production team. “We’ve grown together, we’ve grown with them, and it’s a personal relationship,” he proudly shared. With that being said, be prepared for a whole lot more adventure gear from the Kulkea front, and get a sneak peek inside David’s inspiration for our new products available this fall.