Get To Know Us! Part III - By Sarah Cotton

Happy Monday, Squirrels! If you have been following along with our SNB origin stories, we’re here to wrap it up with the face behind the face of our company: Chris Cone. 

Let’s start with a riddle. Who has seen more wilderness than the average American, has travelled thousands upon thousands of miles of mountainous terrain, and lives in a 2D world? It’s not Chris Cone, if that’s what you’re thinking. It is, however, the child of Chris Cone. Not a real child, but a brain-child… otherwise known as, our logo! 

Our iconic logo is the first thing that catches the attention of our customers. We want our squirrel to be a beacon of hope that a runner might recognize in the middle of an ultra race, providing a glimmer of redemption for those chafe-ridden feet and thighs. 

Now, this logo didn’t just appear out of thin air. It was crafted and re-crafted, by our very own Chris Cone. “Thornley asked me to come up with something three years ago, which was the squirrel, and the overall look… I have a personal connection to where this story began, because I used to work for Chris Thornley when I first moved to Flagstaff, 10 or 11 years ago, so I know who Squirrel is, and I ride bikes with him and everything.” 

Anybody who knows Chris Thornley knows he has a sense of humor. Cone points out that anybody using Squirrel’s Nut Butter anti-chafe products also needs a bit of a sense of humor, so he is here to help connect the company to the customers. 

“Knowing Chris and his humor, kind of put things in perspective, and as I move through any concept, things just kind of pop out - colors, look, and I’m a huge typography person, so that’s a major design element that I bring to things.” 

While the brand itself has always remained the same, Cone is constantly tweaking things ever so slightly, honing things in and strengthening the connection between us and our customers. As we widen our shelves with new crops, Cone must also expand our branding to encompass a wider variety of products. 

"Sometimes coming up with the design for new products feels excruciatingly painful, but I think anything worthwhile is going to be like that. Since the initial branding has already been set, it's been challenging and fun to come up with the new product design. I think Saddle Butter was the first major redesign, and now we're working on a new product that's even more challenging." 

If you haven't already, check out our new Skin Restoration products that Cone is speaking of - Sariah Rose Body Butter, and The Naked Greek Body Butter.

When Cone isn't working on SNB design, he can probably be found riding his bike, or shoveling snow. 

Thanks for following along with our story. While we all wear many hats in the SNB office, we're all here for one reason - to keep you moving, comfortably & chafe-free! We'll see you out there!