If I had to sum 2022 up as a list of emoji, it would look like this (in no particular order):

😅 😃 😂 😩 😖

There were ups, there were downs; there were tears of joy, and grumbles of frustration. There were moments when we squeaked by through the skin of our teeth, and there were moments when I knew everything was going to work. And some days, I felt every emotion in the span of a few hours. 

And yet, my heart is full and I’m ready for 2023! It’s so easy to be so focused on the day-to-day operations of a company, that it’s difficult to step back and review the incredible strides we’ve made over the last year. Allow me, in this year in review, to point out just a few of the things we accomplished in 2022.

Production

As I’m sure many of you have noticed, the global supply chain continues to confound us all, especially small businesses. But your support has meant EVERYTHING to us, whether we shipped our products later than expected, had to split your orders, or asked you to trust us with a pre-sale. Cash flow is the lifeblood of every business, and your patience and understanding has allowed us to move dollars around when we need them, while also shipping amazing products to you!

You may recall our incredible issues around thread - that continued this year, along with issues around zippers and fabric… but we nevertheless got through them! And when we did get stock, y’all sold us out TWICE! We’re now fully stocked with Ponderosa Pants in sizes 14-24, but we’re eager to get our shipments for our Bristlecone Flannels in sizes 1-5 and our long-awaited Ponderosa Pants in sizes 26-30 🙌🏽

The Business

We don’t talk about the behind-the-scenes bits as much, but I couldn’t be more proud of the small but mighty Alpine Parrot team! At the start of 2022, I was the only full-time employee of the company (and I wasn’t even paying myself yet 😅). At the end of 2022, we’re now three full-time employees, along with a team of contractors, advisors, and investors. We’ll be growing even more in 2023—stay tuned on social and our website for opportunities with our growing company!

Perhaps one of my greatest business moments was when Alpine Parrot was named one of six companies accepted into REI’s Path Ahead Ventures Navigate accelerator program. We learned SO MUCH, and have come out of the program stronger and wiser than when we started. 

Finally, we got so much press, y’all! Media outlets both large and small wrote some incredible things about us, and you can see everything on our Press page. I’ll never forget the moment I ran into a Barnes & Noble and found our Ponderosa Pants under the Editor’s Choice section of the Summer 2022 Outside Magazine Gear Guide though 💖

The Community

We’ve built an INCREDIBLE Trail Team (stay tuned for more in 2023!) and grew our online community through social media and our newsletter. And we celebrated you all with our first-ever sales (which won’t necessarily match up with holidays, so I recommend signing up for our newsletter to get details before anyone else 😉).

We also launched in retail stores this year, giving more folks an opportunity to discover us in-person. We stand by our fit, while also acknowledging that our industry-defining fit styles can make guessing your fit tricky to figure out online. Trying Alpine Parrot apparel on in person is the easiest way to find your fit, so definitely visit one of our incredible retailers or find us at an event this year!

After two years of living in a pandemic, we were finally able to meet many of you in person! We had our first official events, from fit testing in California and Washington to our first-ever pop-up event in Seattle. Meeting y’all in person was the #1 thing that kept me going through the tough times this year. Laughing with you, sharing snacks and stories, and even sharing emotional tears of joy as you found your perfect fit was never lost on me. Thank you for your vulnerability and friendship - I literally wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t for y’all.

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Farewell, 2022! Hello, 2023! Thank you for being on this journey with us - it’s only going to get more exciting from here on out!