22 minute read
TOP 10 “LAKELANDER MADE” WINNERS
written by RJ Walters
ight years after becoming the first coffee roaster in Lakeland, Patriot Coffee is looking forward to what’s next and working to strengthen its brand identity.
Founder and owner Chris McArthur, who also owns Black & Brew Coffee House and Bistro, admits the journey hasn’t always been easy, especially navigating a pandemic and the explosive growth of the craft coffee industry.
“The challenge for craft coffee is that it’s difficult to differentiate,” he says. “Basically you’re really differentiating on brand and the relationship you have with your customers.”
He notes that part of the success of the Black & Brew restaurants is the positive relationships he and his team have built with customers, and he is working to develop ways to create similar rapport with Patriot customers, albeit from a distance.
“We build interactive content and social media, but the question remains, ‘How much relationship do people want with the people who are making their coffee?’ or do they really just want great coffee?”
Based on social media and online reviews, and his success getting on “Florida Local” endcaps in Publix stores around the state, Patriot seems to have the “great coffee” aspect covered.
Patriot currently offers 10 roasts that customers can order at patriotcraftcoffee.com or buy at a number of retailers.
One way Patriot is working to energize its brand is through becoming the exclusive licensee of Color Theory Tea, a company started by Lakelander Jenna O’Brien. McArthur has aspirations of getting the tea out to market utilizing what he has learned with his coffee products.
“That seems to be a space where there’s more growth potential as a sub-brand of who we are,” he says.
McArthur, a veteran of the Marine Corps, is also eager to finalize a partnership that gets back to the roots of the company. Patriot will partner with Patriot Service Dogs, and a portion of the proceeds from specially-branded Patriot Coffee will support disabled veterans having access to service dogs free of charge.
“They are doing some great things, and I think it connects really well with my initial vision to have a positive impact on that community,” he says.
When it comes to community — McArthur is not only an integral part of it, he is immensely appreciative of the support Lakelanders provide.
“Lakeland is home and it’s always been home,” he says. “I feel like if I had been in Tampa trying to open a coffee shop or roaster, I wouldn’t have been successful maybe…but here I can count on people and I feel like I know what they want.”
10 Different Craft Coffees
Available online and in select retailers patriotcraftcoffee.com MAKER Chris McArthur
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written by RJ Walters
MAKERS
Kris Dehnert
& Randall Thompson
t first glance you might call Kris Dehnert and Randall Thompson fairweather fans. It’s easy to find photos of them with Yankees legends like Wade Boggs and Mariano Rivera, but it’s also true they could be seen with David Ortiz, a Hall of Fame slugger of the arch-rival Boston Red Sox. Or you might just call the dynamic duo wildly successful tycoons who have “Hit a $30 Million Home Run” as Entrepreneur.com put it in an April article.
When DugOut Mugs was featured in our December 2019 Lakelander MADE issue the business was ascending, with an approximate valuation of $5 million and 22 employees.
Today, its growth continues to be something to marvel at for a company that started when Thompson started the endeavor with 25 bats that he built prototype mugs out of in a 300 square foot apartment.
More than 400,000 customers have made purchases with the 60-plus employee company that produces and fulfills the products at a warehouse in Winter Haven, and Major League teams are making bulk orders of the mugs that baseball fans and players of all ages enjoy.
When we were meeting with Dehnert recently he was on a phone call finalizing the details of getting custom mugs in the hands of St. Louis Cardinals legend Albert Pujols, and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Pujols was on the cusp of hitting his 700th career home run, and Judge was nearing Roger Maris’ iconic single season home record, milestones that DugOut Mugs was entrusted to create limited edition mugs for.
The 40-year-old Dehnert, a Polk County native who has invested in numerous businesses over the years, says he attributes the brand’s success not only to the consistency and quality of the product, but also how he and Randall are “unapologetically authentic.”
“We show up being authentic, in flip flops and backwards hats and smacking people on the back (as a sign of camaraderie),” he says. “So we attracted baseball players, veterans… people who were looking to be part of a team.”
Sometimes the people who resonate with the brand are even parts of teams where it’s more common to don suit and tie, such as a Governor Ron DeSantis who said hello to Dehnert at the 2020 Governor’s Dinner at the Atlanta Braves spring training facility. DugOut Mugs products were given as a gift to all VIP attendees.
“When Ron DeSantis saw me at an event he walked up to me and said, ‘Kris, I wanna tell you something,’ and I’m like, ‘What!?’ Dehnert reflects. “And he is like, ‘I’ve got three things on my desk: water from Galilee, a Cannon shell from my inauguration and a DugOut Mug. I wanted to let you know that.”
The success of the company has allowed Dehnert and Thompson to hit remarkable sales numbers, but also successfully hit metrics that matter most to them — being able to be present in the lives of their family’s and provide opportunities for their loved ones that are truly transformational.
Dehnert also said it is awesome to be able to employ a wide range of people, from a “22-year-old printing tickets to a 65-year old cleaning mugs” and help them make a living doing something they enjoy and they can be proud of.
Their signature mugs, which come in steel and wood, generally run $30-$70, and they also sell bat handle bottle openers, bat knob shot glasses and mini bat wine glasses.
The next “big thing” for DugOut Mugs could be a magnetic half baseball bottle opener or a bat handle bottle brush, or it could be a partnership with the NCAA or expanded international sales.
Whatever the future holds, Dehnert said he is extremely grateful to the local business community and a network of individuals from across the country who he and Thompson have been fortunate to have had the support of from the beginning.
MAKER Mark Hall
written by
Diego De Jesus
“Lakeland is very
ne year after opening his custom denim jeans and suits shop in Lakeland, Marc Hall continues to kindle one-on-one connections with his clientele.
Hall tends to both his Knoxville and Lakeland shop on a weekly basis, flying to and from Tennessee and Florida. He says he has experienced remarkable success at his Lime Street location in downtown Lakeland in a short time.
Hall attributes his success to his product along with his personalized approach but also to the city of Lakeland and its citizens. His business was featured in issue 70 of Lakeland MADE in 2021.
“Lakeland is very much a tight-knit community,” Hall said. “Our business, not only through The Lakelander, but through our clients, have been a lot of word-ofmouth and referrals. What we’re doing is we’ve taken those echelon clients like doctors and realtors and helped them with their branding.”
Clients want to look the part for their business or profession, and Hall provides that with a wide range of customization that’s now expanded into women’s clothing.
The biggest trouble for Hall is trying to maintain that advertised personalization while also getting more into traditional retail. “The goal for me would be to get in a space that is a little more retail to get more foot-traffic presence,” Hall said. “But again, our business is based on more customization, so we don’t want the experience to change.” Cutting and sewing is the next big endeavor for the Lakeland shop. The idea of taking an apprentice or two under his wing has crossed his mind. He’s looking for someone willing to learn and with a personality to network in Lakeland, so the Lakeland studio can be as successful as Hall’s original location in Knoxville, which he opened in 2011.
“It’s my biggest hurdle here, finding employees,” Hall said. ”Because we’re basically building a new business here.”
Hall works at each location for a week at a time, so the employees that manage the studio will keep the business running smoothly in his absence.
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Modern Birdhouse
robertberganza.com
written by RJ Walters
ust as it was a revelation to Robert Berganza that his therapeutic hobby of woodworking could become a fulltime job, it has been a series of continuous realizations and timely opportunities that have allowed him to evolve his business.
The former Polk County Sheriff’s Office detective made a name for himself and earned Lakelander MADE status in 2019 because of his high-end modern furniture.
In time, he came to appreciate that not everyone has the means to purchase a one-ofkind table for $5,000, and he made the most of other opportunities that he is quick to credit to a strong network of Lakeland professionals.
“(At first), the lead and marketing part of the business was just literally people I met going into the same coffee shop every day,” he says. “It turned out the people I was meeting, just by chance, were also some really well connected people in that space. Some of their connections led me to doing architectural themed installation projects.”
Examples include a massive architectural project that AgAmerica Lending used on its salesfloor and a collaborative project with The Lunz Group and Register Construction to build an eye-catching meeting space for Grindley Williams Engineering.
He admits that being a business owner is both exhilarating and exhausting. He said sometimes he can work 60 hours in a week and most of them are spent writing proposals and doing paperwork, while other weeks he is in the workshop grinding out unique projects with a couple of assistants.
He says a lot of the work he has done to this point isn’t quite scalable or easily repeatable, but he envisions a future where that is no longer the case.
“I’m getting closer to figuring out how to make things efficiently enough and,you know, hopefully profitably enough to go from coasting to growing.”
Berganza is excited to make his pieces more accessible to a broader audience, and he plans on starting by offering at least three products that will make that a reality.
He is finalizing production details on a small “origami-like” swan ornament that he plans on selling for less than $40, he has crafted a beautiful birdhouse that he plans on scaling and he offers a unique custom gift box for special occasions.
“What would it be like if we had smaller products that were giving us that fuel, the revenue, to have a little bit more leeway?” he asks.
Berganza said he loves being located between Orlando and Tampa because of future growth possibilities, and he has much gratitude for how Lakelanders have supported his dream.
“It seems everywhere I turn there’s someone who is just trying to help and...it seems like part of Lakeland’s culture to do that.”
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written by RJ Walters
MAKER Jonathan Porter
f you run into Jonathan Porter in Polk County he may be greasy and grimy fresh off a job as a farrier, fitting a horse for shoes. Or he might be wearing his Sunday best after a renowned chef rolled out the red carpet to highlight some of his timeless custom knives. Since DogHouse Forge was highlighted as a Lakelander MADE honoree in 2014 the business has grown, split, shrank and is now growing again in a way that makes the most sense for the industrious Porter, a fourth-generation Polk County’ian. He and his wife Emily have built a business that has produced more than 15,000 knives and has an Instagram following of more than 80,000 followers. The reality, Porter will tell you, is that the experience has been less like a steady ascent and more like a rollercoaster. “Some years, it’s been growing pains,” he says. “And some years have been just like…’I can’t believe we’re doing this’ and I can’t believe people are buying so many kitchen knives and whatever else!” Within about five years of launching the company it had grown to a sizable operation with multiple employees, but Porter had a tough time coming to terms with the fact he spent most of his time on management and logistics instead of the metalwork. “I hadn’t built a knife from scratch in about two years…it just wasn’t fun.” So he and his business partner amicably dissolved their partnership and Porter got back to building the tools he loved. He spent (and still spends) many hours as a farrier to pay the bills, while his CNC machines (essentially digital automated metalwork machines) churn out custom designs to build knives with beautiful handles that are work horses in the kitchen. Along the way his brand has caught the eye of many restaurants and chefs, including Joe Sasto, a Michelin-star chef who was featured on Top Chef for several seasons. After Porter was introduced to him by his friend, and renowned chef, Ferrell Alvarez, Sasto drew up ideas for Porter. Porter would craft products accordingly and they would send prototypes and notes back and forth through the mail. This January, the Sasto Tools line is set to officially launch and will include pasta cutters, texture boards and more. He credits much of his ability to be able to survive leaner years to his unofficial cheerleaders in Lakeland and Polk County. “It’s my local clientele here that has kept me alive some years…if you don’t have a local following you won’t survive,” he says. He says his relationship with Bank of Central Florida has helped him through a lot of challenges and he thanks the Ruthven Family for providing him a space to teach blacksmith classes, which he did for more than 200 students before COVID hit.
ontinuing their family legacy in the jewelry industry, Ryan Wilson and Loren Wilson Fernandez are keeping their promise to keep traditional watches in an increasingly digital market.
Nacre Watches was featured in issue 46 of Lakelander MADE in 2018, early into the business’s start in Lakeland.
“When we were first featured in The Lakelander, it was right at the time we launched,” Fernandez said. “Nacre was brand new, and it was exciting for us to be recognized early on by Lakelander MADE. Since then, it’s been revealing to see how our community has embraced Nacre.”
Since then, the company has had some exciting developments and expansions.
They’ve released the Mini Lune, the new smaller 28mm version of their Lune timepiece. Many customers have both sizes and it has become a very popular model.
“We also released our first jewelry capsule, inspired by the baroque pearls found in nature,” Fernandez said. “The baroque pearl is yet another one of nature’s mirrors. Layers of Nacre create their organic shape and no two are alike. [They are] designed and chosen to reflect one’s unique character and beauty.”
Expanding retail is the next step for Nacre Watches. Originally, customers could only order and customize their watches on the website nacrewatches.com.
Wilson and Fernandez plan on making Nacre Watches accessible by selling their product to more retail stores like Gaines Jewelry. With the pandemic restrictions gone, they’ve also taken the initiative to conduct more in-person events around the country for more exposure.
“We are really leaning into what Nacre represents. Staying true to our mission by inspiring the Nacre Circle community to be more present,” Fernandez said. “With that in mind, it is our hope when they glance at their Nacre pieces they will be inspired to live more consciously in a world full of evermore digital distraction. Soak in every moment. We believe that’s how to make the most of time.”
Wilson and Fernandez appreciate the strong community in Lakeland that supports their ever-growing global appeal to those who want that traditional face on their watches while staying true to their familial roots in jewelry.
written by Diego De Jesus
Mini Lune
Rose Gold with Mesh Strap $170 nacrewatches.com
written by Diego De Jesus
he piping industry is a market with a very particular niche, and Walt Cannoy continues to supply that demand from clients around the globe right from Lakeland. Cannoy doesn’t get many clients in Lakeland, and even from Florida; most of the pipes are purchased by international clients.
“There’s not a ton of pipe collectors in Lakeland, not even a ton in Central Florida,” Cannoy said. “So, to really be successful in this business, you have to have a global reach, which you build overtime through social media, networking, trade shows, and stuff like that.”
After Cannoy was featured in issue 22 of Lakelander MADE in 2016, generated some business for him locally but it didn’t change the status quo. The people who bought the pipes photographed at the time were given copies of The Lakelander by Cannoy personally.
At the time of being featured, Cannoy was carving his pipes in a small shed in the backyard of an old house over on Cardinal Place off of Cleveland Heights Blvd. which inspired the namesake of his pipes, Cardinal House Pipes.
Since then, he’s moved his workshop into a storage unit studio. It’s a cramped area surrounded by tools covered in sawdust with his pipes freshly carved or just polished with varnish.
“I didn’t like that idea at all. But then I started looking around and found this place,” Cannot said. “They had these little workshop spaces and they showed me this one, which was more than enough space with water, electricity, and air conditioning. So now I’m here, still doing the thing out of the Cardinal House name for that line of pipes because establishing a line with that brand recognition isn’t easy.”
Many of the subgroups of Cardinal House are named after Cannoy’s favorite locations in Lakeland like the Hollingsworth Series and the Morton Series which have become recognized in the piping industry.
Despite no longer carving pipes at Cardinal House, he didn’t want to change the brand or how the pipes were made. The business is run by Cannoy and he produces every pipe though he has considered apprentices in the past.
“As far as growth, I’m pretty much where I’m going to be,” he said. “Now that being said, I’m always looking for new ideas — new shapes, new inspirations, and new materials. Always trying to do something no one else has done before.”
Cannoy was born and raised in Lakeland. He’s noticed the immense growth that his hometown has undergone, especially in Downtown Lakeland.
“As big as the city is, the community is smaller than the city. It’s like seeing your friends, that connection, that socialization,” he said. “I have friends who own businesses locally that are thriving and striving. I support them. They support me, maybe not monetarily but by spreading the awareness of the pipe maker.
MAKER Laura Shannon
ny gardening or horticulture related clichés to describe Bloom Shakalaka’s exponential growth the past few years would fall short of truly symbolizing of just how fast the business has blossomed and how deep its roots have stretched locally.
The company was founded in January 2020, it was featured in the February 2020 Lakelander MADE issue and weeks later the pandemic hit. Yet, Lakelanders supported Laura Shannon and her staff, and two-and-a-half years later the business is ascending quickly.
“Thanks to our community [and people’s] encouragement, wisdom and investment in our blooms we are still here and thriving beyond anything we imagined,” she says. “We had 18 people at our last staff meeting, and I am incredibly honored to see how Bloom has grown.”
What started as a floral boutique with a brick and mortar location at The Joinery has morphed into a subscription service and event-focused business, which ties neatly into Shannon’s ownership of Haus 820 and Ashton Events.
Bloom Shakalaka staff recently returned from “flowering” a wedding in Tennessee, and they have become one of the local favorite’s to beautify weddings and parties.
This fall, Bloom is rolling out a more comprehensive subscription service, which will be called “Forget Me Not.”
“[It is] aimed to let our customers select a personalized calendar of bloom deliveries that will care for their loved one throughout the year,” Shannon says. “Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays — they pick the dates and we make sure the blooms get there!”
Shannon says she also wants to reinvigorate the company’s website to better showcase all of its offerings and inspire people to dream big for upcoming events.
Shannon is clearly grateful that through the ups and downs caused by being a new business navigating a pandemic she was part of a community like Lakeland.
“I had Lakeland business mentors pouring their time and support into both me, personally, and our staff,” she says. “They carried us through some really hard situations and helped us cross bridges that we couldn’t have ourselves.”
Bloom Merch
Soaps, candles, body wash, perfume and more $5-$26.50 bloomshakalaka.com
MAKER Kim Hancock
afa Natural is constantly showcasing new products and providing more ways and places to buy its natural skincare, bath and home products. Since being featured as a Lakelander MADE winner in 2018, Kim Hancock’s company has continued to lure in customers with seasonal specialties like Watermelon Sugar Scrub and by adding new homegrown product lines, including in the baby and pet care categories.
Rafa Natural has also partnered with other like-minded companies to offer items such as men’s beard oil.
Hancock has garnered partnerships for Rafa Natural products to be sold in stores throughout the state and beyond, including at locations in Brandon, Tampa and Senoia, Ga.
he artisan bread and pastry bakery owned by Benjamin Vickers has evolved and seemingly found a longterm home since being highlighted in the 2019 Lakelander MADE issue. After establishing the brand as a consistent favorite at local markets, and eventually opening a brick-and-mortar location in Lakeland, Vickers and his team ultimately landed at their current location in downtown Winter Haven.
They continue to pride themselves on making the freshest, most delicious bread out of organic and natural ingredients, while continuing to elevate their offerings of savory sandwiches, ethically-sourced coffee and almost anything else someone can imagine that begins with dough.
Recently, they even came out with their very own handcrafted pure vanilla extract that was sourced from Madagascar and brewed in-house by Honeycomb artisans.
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Eucalyptus & Peppermint 16 oz., $14 Grapefruit and Sage 60ml, $12 rafanatural.com
MAKER Benjamin Vickers
140 6th St. SW, Winter Haven
Open Tuesday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. honeycombbread.com
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