Meet Robert and Kristin Morano | Creatives

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robert and Kristin Morano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert and Kristin, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Me and Kristin had been bag designers in the outdoor // Action Sports Industry for over 15 years each at brands Vans, Dakine, etc and had always had the idea of doing our own thing someday. The 2020 year brought a lot of change for most people, throughout that time the brand we were working with shut things down in Hood River, Oregon and we were at a decision point inn our careers. We love hood River and everything about living here so we decided to go all in and start working towards our dream of creating a brand thats manufactured locally, supports the community, and features products created sustainably.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We like to think manufacturing here in the USA using small batch production in house sets us a part. It’s not an easy thing to do these days and its been a big learning curve. We’ve added space, had to purchase some equipment upfront, continually work on efficiencies, and constantly track materials in order to keep things running smoothly here. We feel its worth the extra effort.

It’s still early for us, this July marked 2 years in business. I’m sure there’s still a lot more to learn, adapt to, and overcome in the coming years. We’re up for it and excited to see what lies ahead.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The great thing about Hood River, Oregon is that there are so many people doing amazing things here in the community when it comes to food, wine, beer, art, and enjoying the outdoors. There’s literally so much to do and so many different seasons to enjoy throughout the year here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’d love to give a shout-out to everyone who has supported us by coming through the shop, purchasing product(s), and sending rad vibes our way from the beginning! You truly allow us to continue the dream and we appreciate it so much!

Website: www.alpineseaco.com

Instagram: @alpineseaco

Facebook: Alpine Sea Co

Image Credits
Photos by: Kate Schwager @kateschwag