Collaborating with American Crafters: Todder
We at the Great Republic love to support American makers. When people are working in their craft, with a clear dedication to American craftsmanship and ingenuity, we love to collaborate.
Part of our business is pairing with these driven and enthusiastic makers and artists to bring you the best in American-made. This means that we are constantly searching for the right partners with whom to work with so that we can ensure that their products are hitting the shelves and going home with our dedicated clients.
One of the American makers that we have recently partnered with is Todder, USA, out of Massachusetts. Todder helped us design the sleek and exclusive leather-wrapped flasks that we just added to our inventory. These flasks are elegantly done, using American materials and procedures, and the final product is stunning. Today, we’ll take a look at Todder as a company and introduce you to what it is they do to produce one-of-a-kind wares.
About Todder
Todder is a New England small business run by owner, Ted, and his three other partners and employees. A relatively young company, Todder focuses on quality American-made products that are sure to wow. We were immediately drawn to Ted’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive.
“While in college, Ted found himself being let down by the products that were available. Among himself and his buddies, their belts were falling apart within a year, their shoes weren't holding up, and it became frustratingly clear that it wasn’t easy to find quality products that were made within the USA, with a reasonable price tag. So while studying entrepreneurship during the week, Ted started perfecting his leather crafting skills on the weekends. It wasn’t until 2016 that Todder officially made a name for itself, starting with handmade leather belts. Once Ted got some repeat customers and word of mouth spread, he knew he was onto something. From there, Ted branched into designing and producing wallets, coasters, and bracelets” -Todder.
While the business is quite young in the grand scheme of things, Todder pushes the boundaries of craftsmanship and American-made. Using American-sourced materials, Todder designs wallets, bags, drinkware (you name it!) and samples the products in house. Manufacturing is done in house as well, based out of their New England location shortly outside Boston. Items are then meticulously packed and processed to arrive to your house or our store in a timely manner.
Low-Waste Leather Work
Todder prides itself in sustainability and low-waste practices. This means that every inch of material is used and that nothing goes to waste. There is an issue in the leather industry where materials are wasted; left unused or not used to their full potential. Ted and his team at Todder do their best to cut down on waste and provide sustainable products to last. They do the following to maintain a low-waste business model:
- Designing patterns so that they nest on a hide to eliminate as much waste as possible.
- Consciously cutting. Every single hide that gets cut is like a game of tetris!
- CNC Knife Cutting - This piece of machinery allows them to achieve large yields as they cut entire hides at once by mapping out all of the cuts prior to cutting. It enables crafters to fill in empty spaces in the hide with various small leather goods like keychains and coasters.
Leather Wrapped Flasks
$125
Producing Unique Products
Every single natural hide is different and unique in its own way. There are many characteristics that make each hide truly unique, including fat marks, stretch marks, tick bites, scars, branding marks, and more. The hides, just like human skin, grow and change over the life of the animal. For this reason, it is crucial to embrace the originality of the hides.
For a while the imperfections of hides was making Todder’s crafters’ jobs pretty difficult, as they tried to avoid imperfections when cutting. However, early on they realized that these imperfections should not be avoided and could actually be incorporated in the goods. These little marks are what makes the goods that you purchase from Todder unique and true to nature.
Todder has worked with us to design a custom leather case for flasks, and we look forward to producing more leather works with them soon. Keep an eye out for this budding company as we partner with them to release more collaborations and unique goods that will stand out from the rest.
