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V O L . X X V I I I N O. V I I A P R I L 4 , 2 0 2 2 26 B Y R E N E E B Y R E N E E C O R D E S C O R D E S ainebiz: What did you do before starting Brant & Cochran in 2015? Mark Ferguson: I owned and ran sev- eral B2B businesses in the trucking and logistics software world. My favorite part of working in those businesses was interacting with the customers. is led to wanting to start a direct-to-consumer business like Brant & Cochran. MB: Why axe making? MF: Sounds crazy, right? My brother Steve was looking for an axe for his godson who was going to forestry school and couldn't find one made in the U.S., let alone Maine. at's just not right. As people who grew up camping and canoeing, my brother, our partner Barry Worthing and I knew the importance of having a good axe. It's an essential tool. Also being history nerds, we were cap- tivated by the rich history of axe making in Maine. ere were a half dozen axe companies operating in Oakland before 1950; we wanted to continue that story. MB: How did you fund your startup costs? MF: Our initial machinery was pur- chased with the funds from a successful crowdfunding campaign. e remainder was funded by the dollars and sweat (and some tears) of Steve, Barry and me. MB: What's your annual production volume, and who and where are your retail and wholesale customers? MF: We are producing about 1,200 to 1,300 axes per year right now. Sales are about 70% direct to consumers through our website and events and 30% wholesale. Our customers range from professional arborists and lumberjacks to outdoor enthusiasts, camp and home- owners, and even folks hanging our axes on their walls as pieces of art. Brant & Cochran axes can be found in the hands of people here in Maine and every state in the U.S., throughout Canada, across Europe and as far away as Australia. MB: How big — or small — is this niche you're in? MF: Hard to tell. ere is no 'premium axe' category in any economic data we can find. We know that imports of pre- mium Swedish axes have been increasing into the U.S. We know that there is an 'axe junkie' Facebook group with more than 46,000 members. We know that the outdoor gear market is exploding. And we have had a substantial backlog of orders ever since shipping our first axe in 2018. All we can infer from this is that the market is large enough for us and that it is growing. MB: How long does it take to make an axe? MF: We always say too long! While we do use machines like a hydraulic press and power hammer, there is still a lot of hand-crafting each axe. From steel bil- let to putting the axe in a shipping box probably takes four to five hours. MB: What if any supply-chain issues have you had during the pandemic? MF: We were able to stockpile steel, hickory axe handles and sheath leather, so no problem there. What we ran into, and are still having problems with, is getting replacement parts for our machines. ankfully, our head blacksmith/machinist Gabriel McNeill is a wizard and can 'MacGyver' solutions to keep us up and running. MB: What's next in terms of growth and expansion? MF: We are at the 'Go big or go home' point with our business. We are work- ing with the Maine Small Business Development Centers and the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership to advise us on how to dramatically expand our production capabilities. is means more machines, more blacksmiths, a bigger shop and a more efficient axe-making process. e trick will be to scale while maintaining the quality that led Field & Stream maga- zine to name our Allagash Cruiser one of the four best axes being made in the world right now. O N T H E R E C O R D P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Mark Ferguson is the president and co-founder of Brant & Cochran LLC, a small South Portland- based axe maker named for his grandfather's tool-supply business in Detroit that operated after World War II until the 1970s. Mainebiz caught up with the Ohio native at Brant & Cochran's factory near Bug Light Park as workers were heating, hammering and shaping axe blades. CGI welcomes Jennifer McCurry 207.730.7222 / cgibusinesssolutions.com 383 US Route One — Scarborough, ME 04074 As one of the largest employee benefit agencies in New England, we provide innovative, customized solutions to our clients, consistently delivering administrative simplicity and financial savings, all under one roof. A smarter benefits strategy A groundbreaking innovation in self-insured benefits 97% Captive member retention rate 159 average enrolled employees per member 0 New lasers issued That's self-insurance done right. The health insurance industry wants you to choose between high costs and high risk. ParetoHealth created the largest health benefits captive in the nation to reduce your costs while capping your risk over multiple years. Mark Ferguson Mark Ferguson, , president and co- president and co- founder of founder of Brant & Brant & Cochran LLC Cochran LLC, in the , in the company's workshop company's workshop in South Portland. in South Portland. The company, owned The company, owned by three partners, by three partners, employs five people. employs five people. M We are at the 'Go big or go home' point with our business. — Mark Ferguson Brant & Cochran LLC

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