Could you wait two years for a knife that is only made for you?
Apparently Luke Snyder and David Van Wyk from Bloodroot don’t mind that you have to wait 41 months to buy a knife for $575. They are making it just for your hand. In this world of instant, microwave and now, it’s a pleasure to learn about a brand that has a sharp perspective on branding. A waiting list and customized approach to products mean that they are truly crafting something bespoke and beautiful.
Bloodroot, Bespoke and Beautiful
The Bloodroot boys find and reclaim metal from junkyards, blacksmiths, auto yards and other recyclable locations. Sometimes they find springs from an old Chevy from the 50’s or a part of a shipwrecked boat. The wooden handle might come from an old European music factory that made clarinets or a pecan tree farm in their home state of Georgia.
The owners are artisans with roots in woodworking and blacksmith activities. When Luke’s acquaintance David requested chef’s knife as gifts for a wedding, the opportunity and passion for kitchen tools intersected. The right knife for one person’s hand isn’t the perfect knife for someone else.
This approach to foraging for special materials and fitting a knife like a custom suit is rare in today’s mass produced world.
Bloodroot was featured in a documentary that Morgan Spurlock created as an homage to craftsmanship. It was funded by Haagen Dazs who wanted a way to promote their new artisan ice cream offerings. Instead of creating a documentary on ice cream, Spurlock told stories of various artisans and how they painstakingly create beautiful products with distinct features and functions.
Lessons from Bloodroots
Sometimes the obvious path is to tell a commercial story about your product. But the smart marketing folks at Haagen Dasz realized that they needed to communicate about artists and craftsman, who had a passion for their life work, not about ice cream. So often, we default to talking about our product in a commercial context.
How smart to think laterally about the story of customized kitchen tools that are made just for you.
Instead of creating marketing material about your product, could you tell a story that can shine a light on a value that is demonstrated through others. For example, perhaps there is a tool that is instrumental in your work but often not featured. Imagine writing the story of the person who created a special cutting shear to delicately yet precisely remove grapes from a vine. Or, maybe it is the story of the hands of the workers who pick the grapes gently so that they don’t damage them during harvest.
Look to the left or right to find these stories. They can be close but often overlooked. As Spurlock did in his documentary, he didn’t feature the products but the art behind the artisan. And that is exactly what Haagen Dazs wanted to promote.
Any way you slice it, the documentary Crafted from Morgan Spurlock is worth watching. Take a peek at the trailer below.
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Notes: I learned about Spurlock’s film from Mitch Joel’s podcast, Six Pixel of Separation. If you aren’t familiar with his work, listen to his interview here. Want to connect with me to talk to sharpen your sword, connect here.
Photo credit: From Bloodroot website. All rights reserved. www.bloodrootblades.com
