My Origin Story ;)
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Blue Collar Blades. My name is Nate and I am the founder.
Around 2013 I made the decision to sell my beloved project car as I felt it was taking away too much time, money, and energy from the family not to mention the house needed some financial attention. As I parted ways with the car, I found myself yearning to create. Stuck in this what to create next block, I began researching and looking for creative outlets that were new to me yet could leverage my life’s experiences and skills.
I stumbled across a YouTube video of a writer turned professional chef knife maker. The spark began in this video for me, despite the warnings from the gentlemen being interviewed about the long learning process I was fully committed to learning how to make 6 kitchen knives as Christmas gifts. Well, those 6 knives quickly turned into 3 knives ha-ha. What I learned from that experience of those first 6 knives was I had found a passion and a craft, I loved like I have never loved a craft before! Eager to work on more cutlery I began buying materials and plotting my next blades prior to even finishing my first 6. I had been bitten by the knife making bug and hard and with my wife’s support I kept on going!
Over the next decade I continued to make handcrafted cutlery for friends, family, clients, and amazing retailers. During that decade I kept investing in equipment and materials, eventually leading to building my first dream tiny work shop. I have even gone as far to trade mark the Blue Collar Blades name and logo. All in a quest to leave a legacy and show I was here serving this wonderful community. I have been truly blessed to own a small business that continually introduces me to outstanding people who are just as passionate about “handmade” and supporting small businesses as I am.
I believe the way to create a better world is to help people do meaning things. I do this by handcrafting quality tools that bring people together around good food & great memories
My why may be simple and what I do and how I do it to achieve that level of simplicity and functionality is quite the under tanking. There are knife manufactures turning out more knives in a week of production than I aspire to make in my life time. This is not about high-volume low cost; this is about connecting passionate chefs and passionate craftsmen dedicated to serving people and providing tools for lasting memories!