Maker: Sanborn Canoe Company

Location: Winona, Minnesota

Wares: Wilderness paddles

A few lucky people are able to make their hobby their business, and the owners behind Sanborn Canoe Company can be counted among them. Friends Zak Fellman and Todd Randall are avid canoeists and outdoorsmen who found themselves with a bona fide business when their handcrafted and hand-painted paddles attracted the attention of design enthusiasts and adventurers alike.

In a few short years, Sanborn Canoe Co.’s original paddles have become coveted wilderness products that blend aesthetics with function. But Fellman and Randall have a mission much grander than creating bits of beauty and state, “above all else, we are honor bound to preserve and cultivate the great paddling heritage that has been born by many over the centuries.” 

True to their passion, the duo spends as much time on the river as in the woodshop — a divide that's necessary when aiming to "foster new connections for the paddling community and forge new horizons for paddlers."