This is the first post in our Employee Spotlights blog series where each of us in the CNOC team shares something about ourselves. We're starting with Gilad, Founder and General Manager. 

Running a small business is not simple, as you have probably heard or know personally. There is no manual, no instruction book or even a general guideline. Every business is amazingly unique, even compared to a very similar business in the same industry. Despite how it might seem, small business owners spend most of their time just winging it, making it up as we go and hoping that we made the right choice in any given situation. Sometimes it works, sometimes it closes the business.

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For years the obvious solution for ultralight hikers was to make the simplest, lightest food available: instant noodles. But with the introduction of more Mediterranean foods to European and American diets, couscous is taking over as one of the most popular ultralight foods.

For me personally, couscous always made more sense than noodles: I come from a Moroccan family where couscous is truly a staple, not just an addition. I'm pretty sure that as a kid, I had more couscous than rice, but that is beside the point; couscous is an excellent meal, specifically ultralight backpacking food.

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Geology, a brief story of plastic, and an introduction to the Vesica Water Bottle and the Curn Cup, CNOC's newest lightweight TPU hydration products that provide an ultra-light and packable alternative to single use plastics. If you love the Vecto Water bladder, you'll love these as well.

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Each Fall, Cnoc Outdoors pledges 10% of the revenue from our website to an organization working hard to keep up our trails and care for our communities. For October 2020, our recipient is Unlikely Hikers, a diverse, anti-racist, body-liberating outdoor community featuring the underrepresented outdoorsperson. In the past, Cnoc Outdoors has donated staff time and products in support of Unlikely Hikers sponsored hikes and events. 

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In case you somehow missed it, we just launched our hand-built, made in the USA trekking poles, and wow, has it been a challenge to make them! From building a new supply chain, to manufacturing tools, finding the best bonding materials and just teaching our bodies how to make things right, it was a tall order. This has been a two year long project that we are very proud to have accomplished; it even brought the company to the verge of closing at one point.

Though a huge challenge, it has been a very satisfying journey, and we wanted to share with you how it looks in our workshop. 

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