As founded in 2010, Coalatree is an outdoor brand that has raised over $1 million on Kickstarter for its technical outdoor products. The brand recently collaborated with reggae icon Ziggy Marley on the limited-edition Marley Kachula Blanket. Part of Coalatree’s give-back initiatives, for every limited edition Marley Kachula blanket sold, one is be given to someone in need. Beyond being part of a great cause, the Kachula blanket is super-versatile — the “Swiss army knife of blankets” — as it can be used as a blanket, travel pillow, a light sleeping bag, and even a poncho for emergency situations.
I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Jake “Charlie” Bessey, founder and CEO of Coalatree.
More on Bessey and Coalatree can be found online at www.coalatree.com.
How would you describe the Coalatree brand to someone not yet familiar?
Jake “Charlie” Bessey: We are an eco-minded lifestyle apparel and accessory brand that focus on making versatile products that can be used from the mountains to the city. Our goods are made almost entirely from sustainable and or recycled materials. We strive to use the most environmentally friendly inputs in our supply chain and partner with Bluesign-approved factories to ensure that we cause no unnecessary harm to the planet during our production processes.
With an unbridled commitment to quality, we are seen as a leader in the sustainable products sector, making some of the most durable adventure products available on the market. Our give-back programs allow us to not only have an impact on the environment in which we live but also help us to empower underprivileged communities surrounding our home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit our site for more information on our blankets to the homeless initiatives and our local non-profit partnerships. People can also follow us on IG for opportunities to get involved!
What was the first Coalatree product that you put on the market?
Jake “Charlie” Bessey: The first product that we brought to market was the Huck Finn Denim. What was special about that piece was it was a salvaged Japanese denim that was organic. At that time, bringing those two components together was unheard of. At this time, there were only a couple of factories in the world and there were making clothes out of recycled materials and no large denim brand incorporated any salvaged denim into their new products. Making us one of if not the first company to do that.
Where did the Kachula Blanket concept come from? Had blankets been a big part of your life before developing it?
Jake “Charlie” Bessey: The concept came from taking the Amtrak train in between the farm that our brand started on in Colorado and Salt Lake City, where Charlie is from. Also, to reduce the carbon footprint, in the beginning, trains would be used as much as possible to access and visit shops on the west coast that we were getting into as the brand grew.
We wanted a product that you could lounge in or use as a pillow in the train that could pack up nice and small but that would have more functionality than the blankets that we were using. A traditional blanket would only serve one purpose and when you don’t have it on you, it was a pain to carry around, it is bulky, soggy when wet, etc. We decided to start crafting something that could begin to address all of the things we wanted on these trips.
How did the opportunity to collaborate with Ziggy Marley come about?
Jake “Charlie” Bessey: One of our team members brought this project to the table and immediately everyone was excited about this project. The reason for the excitement was because his music resonates with our brand in a massive way in terms of clean living, health, respecting mother nature and each other, etc. The timing around the launch was especially interesting for us.
Also, as Ziggy had just released Rebellion Rises, which was an album again focused around people, love, encouragement, etc., we wanted to incorporate those values into the design and the finished product illustrates that, spreading the messages of peace, love and unity. For them, our blankets to the homeless giveback program was something that they wanted to get behind, especially given how well the Ziggy Kachula resonated with his fans.
What do the next few months look like for Coalatree? New products? New developments?
Jake “Charlie” Bessey: Currently, we are in the middle of one of our most successful Kickstarter campaigns yet. The camper hooded Jacket 2.0! As we go into the holidays, we will ramp up our blankets to the homeless giveback program as we have done in the past with the involvement of nonprofit national and community partners.
Going into 2019, we have some really exciting products that we will be launching made almost entirely out of recycled coffee grounds, so be on the lookout for those! We are also going to be launching a leave it better campaign, engaging our community of supporters to be mindful about the impact that we have on the beautiful places we all love to enjoy and how to mitigate that impact as much as possible.
When not busy with Coalatree, how do you like to spend your free time?
Jake “Charlie” Bessey: While being the CEO of Coalatree is where the majority of my passion is displayed, I am a firm believer in getting outside and enjoys all kinds of activities including snowboarding, mountain biking, traveling, exploring the Wasatch, visiting new cities, riding jet skis like Kenny Powers, and above all spending time with my wife and family.
Finally, any last words for the kids?
Jake “Charlie” Bessey: Choose to support people and brands that have transparency, are honest, and integrity. The causes that you choose to invest time into will slowly become a reflection of yourself and vice versa. If a brand or a person does not have a passion behind what they are doing and supporting, they are destined to lose sight of what is really important.
