For the MAEKAN and DSPTCH family, we’ve watched each other grow with great interest. Both of us share a similar perspective on creating and putting things out into the world. So when we first decided to explore creating product, DSPTCH was a natural first partner. Their flexible in-house manufacturing meant lower minimums and utilitarian design philosophy vibed with our perspective on what we wished to put out into an already crowded world.

The timeline for putting this tote out into the world took longer than anticipated, yet the conversation that supported this project and the underlying premise behind how we collectively run our companies remains unchanged.

We’re excited to both share this thoughtful conversation and the release of our MAEKAN x DSPTCH “Done Slow, Done Right” Tote Bag.

See the images, read the transcript, and shop the bag at MAEKAN.com

After a long hiatus, we’re back with another episode of Building The Brand. Most crucially, this episode is hosted by MAEKAN founders Eugene Kan and Alex Maeland, who talk about the inception of Adam Studios, the creative agency they founded that ties into and supports MAEKAN as a company and independent publication.

See the whole episode and transcript over at MAEKAN.com.

Namu Farm is a quaint two-acre property located an hour and a half outside of San Francisco. In a time when the topic of food and industry generally focuses on scale and size, a visit to the farm is a timely reminder of where our food comes from. The whole operation is overseen by Kristyn Leach, an unexpected representation of the modern-day farmer who aims not only to produce honest, ethical food, but also empowers communities through narratives of food and experience. As a Korean-American adoptee, some of the crops that grace the rows of the farm were not part of her upbringing, but their existence has allowed her to gain a very unique insight into a heritage that was never second nature.

Namu Farm exists as a partnership between both Kristyn and Namu Gaji, a brother-run restaurant group that also includes the more casual dining establishment known as Namu Stonepot. The two have been staunch supporters of revisiting what farming means today and willingly absorbing all the challenges that have come along the way.

A few hours spent shadowing Kristyn with the bright sun beating down overhead yielded some fascinating insights into the complexities of not only how our food makes its way to the table, but also how food and ethnic culture have some positive externalities that help bring light to the stories of the otherwise voiceless.

See the images over at MAEKAN.com.