Here's the story of how we launched our new Spider Chalk Ball and why it took almost 12 months.
In 2016, we were contacted by athletes on our instagram & facebook pages asking if we could make a Spider Chalk ball. So we researched where chalk balls come from. Unsurprisingly, there are no chalk ball manufacturers in the USA because there are no chalk companies making products in America. All the chalk balls & pouches are imported just like all the chalk products you see. Spider Chalk made a commitment not to import any products, so the next step was to approach American textile manufacturers to make chalk socks for us that we could fill with our amazing chalk. No textile companies made chalk socks and no one was interested in creating a new product.
That left us with only one option: Do it ourselves from start to finish. From testing fabrics to sewing prototypes, we started slowly creating a better chalk ball in the background all the while fulfilling our current orders. Spider Chalk decided that we can make a really good chalk ball here in Atlanta, GA and since we control the manufacturing process we can make it the way we want! That includes the size, shape and thickness!
Takeaways
Along the way there's some interesting things we discovered about chalk pouches
1. Chalk balls are typically small and hold very little chalk. We wanted a 3-4oz chalk pouch so we filled ours a bit more. They also last longer because our chalk is better!
2. The fabric does matter. Spider Chalk Pouches have the perfect mesh size, the perfect stretch, and the right feel for a chalk pouch. To get that combination we used a double-thick custom nylon fabric.
3. Stitches and seams make or break the pouch. Our manufacturing technique uses a special sewing stitch and thread so that the bag can withstand some heavy use.
12 months may seem like a long time to develop a new product but it's important to us as a company that we only put our name on excellent products. With the production of our chalk balls, Spider Chalk remains the only chalk manufacturer in the USA. Other countries import our USA-made products because they also want better chalk. Spider CHalk has over 120,000 customers in 23 countries worldwide. Please check out our chalk ball 2-packs and continue to support American manufacturing!
