I haven’t heard of this guy,” Dedeco questioned who Jocko was. Roberts said that he and Jocko had spoken in the past before, but Robert’s never returned his email. “If they didn’t know about us, they thought we were either crazy or that the kimono was too innovative and wouldn’t be successful,” Roberts said. But being such a small company, they had a hard time finding the support they wanted. ![]() They wanted to find someone who could help the company create a platform and become known worldwide. Roberts and Dedeco were searching for some help when they came across Jocko. Every step of the way allows one to pivot in thinking outside the box, but Roberts said he doesn’t want to go back to the start.Ĭan you talk about bringing Jocko on the team? “I’d say that there were more tuition payments than mistakes because it was a transition to something, a learning experience, something you’ll never do again,” Roberts said. He admitted he felt that they made many mistakes along the way. Roberts said he remortgaged his house and got another $100,000. They worked with raw cotton and fabrics, which resulted in a loss of money, but they had to come too far to turn back. All these changes helped to develop some of the most innovative, comfortable, and advanced Jiu-Jitsu kimonos available. Over the years, they have switched to other fibers and other weaves and other twists of the thread. To which they called American Pearl weave, a cotton fabric. During their search, they found an old-timer Lenny Davis who taught them to sew Pearl weave. They could not get materials outside of China or Pakistan, and they felt that importing the fabrics from other countries defeated the purpose of them being made in the USA.Īt the time, the co-founders worked their way to finding an old loom. One of the challenges they faced was access to fabrics. The company started by importing their products during the first year until they switched to manufacturing.ĭespite the odds and being told it couldn’t be done in America, Roberts and Dedeco picked up their chainsaws and accepted the challenge. A funny moment in a stressful time as many entrepreneurs face. She felt the idea was so absurd she tore down the caution tape surrounding the area of trees Roberts marked to cut down to build the factory where they would be making the Gi’s, Dedeco told us. In fact, she thought the idea was absurd. However, Dedco’s wife wasn’t entirely reassured about the idea. It’s gonna be a very bumpy ride,” Dedeco said as a friendly warning to his wife of what was yet to come. ![]() But when Roberts called again to explain further, Dedeco responded, “Holy cow. ![]() “He said, “I just landed, we’re going to start making Gi’s in America… talk to you later,” This was the first thing Roberts said to Dedeco at five in the morning when he returned to the states.ĭedeco said he couldn’t sleep after the call. “I said, “ Hey Pete, what are you doing?” Dedeco said. Shortly after, Pete returned to the United States, where he then called Dedeco. Pete was out of the country competing when he found out his original manufacturers were scamming the company. He’s a 6th-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Delariva and Ricardo Liborio.įor people new to the art, a Gi is a uniform worn by people who do Jiu-Jitsu and is used as a tool to help them submit, takedown, and throw their opponent. “Manufacturing is dead.”īut as crazy as it sounded, Dedeco went along with it.ĭedeco is the co-founder of Origin USA, an American-made Gi and apparel company set on developing Gis for people of all ages.ĭedeco was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and studied different forms of martial arts during his time there. you can’t make Gi’s in America,” Roberts said. He wanted to start a manufacturing company in his backyard because he had aspirations to re-invent the American manufacturing industry. Pete Roberts, a friend of Dedeco, is the current President of Origin USA, Origin Labs, BJJ Weekly, and a partner in Jocko Industries. “Because everyone said it couldn’t be done.” – Pete Roberts, Co-founder of Origin USAĪndré Almeida “Dedeco,” thought starting a manufacturing company in the U.S. Read how an American made Jiu-Jitsu dream become reality through tireless dedication and the willingness never give up
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