An Orange County surfboard maker is winning fans among large corporations.
Last year, Costa Mesa-based Almond Surfboards created 100 foam boards with custom art for Rivian Automotive Inc. and 200 limited-edition surfboards for Porsche 911 vehicles. The latest collaboration is producing six exclusive surfboards and related apparel for the California Almonds organization which represents almond farmers in the state.
“You have to figure out where you can add an insane amount of value and then lean into that,” founder Dave Allee told the Business Journal.
Allee and Griffin Neumann-Kyle opened Almond Surfboards in 2009, delivering customized boards designed and shaped in Santa Ana to customers worldwide. They are in an industry that was once famous in Orange County and has struggled in recent years, with names like Gordie Surfboards, Bruce Jones Surfboards and Clark Foam going out of business.
The pair has figured out how to survive, generating about $2 million in annual revenue. Besides surfboards, it also sells typical surf shop wares, including apparel, towels and other related products.
The five-employee company is an example of Orange County’s thriving small business climate. This week, the Business Journal is highlighting a variety of small Orange County companies as well as our annual list of SBA lenders (see page 20).
One Year to Survive
Allee shaped surfboards in his parents’ backyard in Costa Mesa while attending Chapman University and came up with the Almond concept while doodling in class. After graduating with a business degree, he decided to give the surfboard company one year to succeed before getting “a real job.”
Allee said he was inspired by the surf shops and boards of the 1960s, including a 1967 Hobie surfboard that a family friend let him borrow as a kid. The earliest board templates he designed were based on that surfboard, he added.
“I wanted to make surfboards that were going to be enjoyed for many decades because I was enjoying boards that were 40 years old,” Allee said.
He and Neumann-Kyle, the shaper, set out to make boards that would work for everyday surfing conditions—“boards that are realistic to the conditions that we face day in and day out, because that’s what our customers are facing,” Allee said.
They started with single-fin longboards and have since added mid-length and shortboards made from foam and fiberglass, starting around $399 apiece.
Before Rivian unveiled its R1 electric vehicle in 2018, its design team members would stop by the Almond store. They bought surfboards that they would hang on Rivian’s walls for inspiration during their design process, Allee said.
The ‘Foamie’ Advantage
In 2018, Almond introduced the R-Series, foam boards recommended for beginners. A video on the website shows the boards, also known as “foamies,” being run over by a car without any damage.
“Built from tough closed-cell foam that won’t soak up water, these boards don’t need wax, shrug off dings, and ride with the feel of our best-selling fiberglass models,” according to the company’s website.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for “foamies” soared, Allee said.
“The best way I can describe it is seven years of demand in 18 months,” he said.
Almond’s online store accounts for 75% to 80% of the total business, driven by high engagement from its email list, according to Allee.
The manufacturer has distributors in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and France to service markets in Asia and Europe.
Almond also makes custom boards, ranging from $1,200 to $2,500. Boards can be made that include art supplied by customers.
Each board is designed by Allee and shaped by Neumann-Kyle in Santa Ana; Waterman’s Guild, a neighbor, applies fiberglass to the boards. Its foam manufacturing partner is based in Salt Lake City, and the surfboard blanks are provided by US Blanks in Gardena.
“Every board is like a one-off. We’ve never made the exact same board twice,” Allee said.
