Community Highlights: Meet Chris McKleroy of Nocs Provisions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris McKleroy. 

Chris, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Nocs Provisions was born at the Citadel of Excitement, ten blocks up from the beach in San Francisco, with a 3d printer and the burning desire to innovate. Aiming to see the swell from the front porch, a pair of cheap binoculars were acquired and used often. The stoke was discovered in these eyepieces while hunting for waves, roaming Outside Lands, tracking flurries of snowy plovers on the beach. When not at home, these prototypes lived in the truck, providing to be clutch on camping trips, finding backcountry lines, and discovering remote waves. 

However, we couldn’t find a binocular that was just right. The products out there were either bulky and expensive, or small and cheap. We imagined a perfect binocular – waterproof, compact, and styled correctly that our friends would be stoked about. A vision was created for a fun and new binocular brand that would be inclusive to people of all ages men/women, combining supreme quality and a touch of style for the modern-day adventurer. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been smooth, of course, I really would be surprised if anyone running a bootstrapped business has a smooth road. We’ve struggled with mitigating a supply chain wrought with Covid, from priority in production to freight to distribution centers picking up the product. We’ve struggled with getting new products and marketing initiatives live with limited human power. But for the most part, what’s allowed us to stay sane is to focus only on what needs doing, not anymore. Focusing on the essential, and doing that well. It’s a lot of work, of course, but that’s made the road feel straight. It’s a straight, bumpy road. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We make compact binoculars. We looked at the market of binoculars: why are they all black? why do they all look the same? Why are there so many options? Why are they so expensive? We just wanted a compact, waterproof binocular that we could travel with – take along the way to get closer to nature – and realized they didn’t exist. The vision was clear. So, we built a brand that is set apart from the others, with this new customer in mind – the casual adventurer, looking for an easy set of binoculars. Turns out birders and hunters love them – and that’s probably what I’m most proud about – that our product was adopted by “real” binocular users. 

How do you define success?
Sustained business profitability, while fulfilling our mission of getting people closer and more present with nature. We are proud to be a 1% For the Planet member, supporting various organizations helping people get into nature. And we are Climate Neutral. Block and tackle – moving the ball down the field – no magic – no hail marys – just hard work – the moving of the ball down the field is how I define success. 

Pricing:

• Waterproof Binoculars at $95
• Ultra Compact Monoculars at $75
• Photo Attachment at $27
• Microscope Attachment at $35
• Pro Level Binoculars at $295

Contact Info:

• Website: nocsprovisions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n_o_c_s

Image Credits
@whatgivesmedia