Letter From The Founder No. 22

Letter From The Founder No. 22

Much has changed...

Today is a good day. I am writing this letter from my desk at our new factory in Toronto. Since I last wrote a letter to the community, almost everything has changed around here.

Since July, we opened up sales to the United States, raised a Million dollars for the company, went on an adventure through Asia to find new suppliers, and moved into a brand new 8,000-square-foot headquarters that finally houses our production space & offices under one roof. We've hired new staff, designed two completely new Beachman models (which we will announce this spring), and most importantly, we've still been having fun through all these changes.

Oh, and we have a new logo.

I'll do my best to go through all these new things in the letter below, and at the end of it I have a new playlist for you to enjoy during the holidays (As well as another one coming next week).

Thank you as always for supporting us and I hope you enjoy the read.

As always I will highlight all the important bits like this for those who only have time to scan the email.

The "Flying B" Has Landed

Branding is an interesting thing. It is the art of discovering things that do not yet exist. Things that, after you have brought them into being, feel as if they had been there all along.

I always knew we needed a second logo; an Icon that would complement our wordmark while performing in spaces and contexts where it simply couldn't. Internally we referred to this as the Formula 1 logo, because the test I set for our designer Jeremy was that it had to be instantly recognizable even if placed as one of the tiny, 10-pixel icons in the F1 Scoreboard you see on the left-hand side during race day. That is a hallowed board, with logos as iconic and timeless as one can find, and my intention has always been for Beachman to find it's way among the ranks of Mercedes and Herman Miller. 

Designed to be versatile, familiar, and reminiscent of the great airlines of the 1960s, we feel this new shape represents us at our best.

The design process for this logo took place over 5 months in 2023, working hand in hand with Jeremy Grice, former creative director of The Hudsons Bay, long-time friend, and original designer of all of the Beachman logos to date. 

The badge will begin to roll out on products and bikes over the next two years, as it finds its natural place in our rhythm. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

New Bikes, New Suppliers, New Headquarters

Steve and I recently went on a trip throughout Asia, meeting our new suppliers for the foreseeable future. We have made huge strides in the last 8 months in finding reliable parts providers that will improve our (already high) quality standards by leaps and bounds, and will also be able to meet our future demands as our production numbers ramp up this year to meet USA demand. 

Most importantly, our own frame. This new, '64-replacing model will be built from the ground up to our exact specification, no longer using the old Honda CB125 platform that we built our business on, and finally designed to be electric at its core. This new generation of Beachmans will blow you away.

With these new suppliers came the ability to launch 2 new bikes next year:

- A fully redesigned '64 in both E-bike and LSM spec, which will be getting a new name as it really is a whole new bike.
- A pedal-assist, bicycle-style e-bike with our hallmark retro vibes, and an amazing price point for those who can't afford a '64. We are very excited to announce this one, but for now it is a secret. There is nothing like it out there.

Finally, our new factory. I will save most of those updates for my next email, and share photos when the facility is built, but we have finally found a home big enough that the shoe fits, and it is beautiful. 

A New Playlist For You: Beachman Home Vol. 3

The Beachman Home volumes are designed for one purpose: flavouring your living experience. Enjoy this playlist while relaxing after a long day, and let the sounds soothe you into a state of Beachman bliss.

Curating the Beachman musical collection is one of my favourite pastimes. It's led me to discover so many genres and artists I never would have without this constant pursuit of the unknown and the perfect vibe.

This past year I listened to 187 genres while seeking out this music and I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I did building them.

Beachman Is No Longer Accepting Investors

It is my pleasure to say that we closed our recent financing, securing $1 million for the business, and solidifying our future and our vision for the company.

Managing to complete a raise without involving any Venture Capital or Private Equity firms was my priority, and we succeeded at not only doing that but also building a team of passionate, involved investors who are working alongside us to take Beachman to another level. Our vision is set on bringing the good times to the United States, and eventually, the world.

Thank you to those reading this who jumped aboard our humble ship. You know who you are.
That's all for now!
 
As always, feel free to reply to this email to speak with me personally.

Have a fantastic day, and I'll see you at the Beach.

Ben Taylor
Co-Founder
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