BLUEGRASS PROVISIONS COMPANY

BLUEGRASS PROVISIONS CO.

AMERICAN MADE QUALITY FORMALLY KNOWN AS BLUEGRASS BELTS BY DANA FARRELL

At the NSCA National Championship last October I met a pretty, darkhaired woman set up in the vendor mall in front of a beautiful display of handcrafted leather belts and other accessories. Striking up a conversation, I learned the company, then known as Bluegrass Belts, featured handmade belts, bracelets, and bags of saddle grade leather—all made in or around Lexington, Kentucky.

Equestrian Themed Lifestyle

Bluegrass Provisions Co. owner Crystal Baker is passionate about her products, and proud of the brand she acquired a couple of years backs. A former Atlanta store owner, back in the day Crystal carried the Bluegrass Belts product line in her store. When she learned the founder of the company wanted to move on, she believed enough in the quality of the products to make an offer to purchase the company.

“The owner at the time was a young man in his twenties who frequented horse tracks and horse farms as a kid. He wanted to go work for his dad, so I offered to buy the company” she said. After the sale she closed her store to focus solely on the brand.

Crystal expanded both the product line and its retail presence in the South and up and down the East Coast. At the time of the purchase, the company’s products were carried in only one store. Now Bluegrass Provisions Co. can be found in about 70 stores—and the list is growing.

An Expanded Product Line

Bluegrass Provisions Co. might have its origins in belts, but at sporting clays events Crystal found people were asking for other

THE HOOF PICK BELT AND BLUEGRASS PROVISIONS CO. SHOOTING POUCH PAIR NICELY

reordering merchandise. This year equestrian events are beginning to start back up with spectators, which for a specialty merchandiser steeped in equestrian tradition, is a really good thing.

Last year the company was named the official belt of the Breeders’ Cup, a thoroughbred race held in Lexington—but with the pandemic raging, there were no spectators allowed in the stands. The Kentucky Derby will be run with spectators this year, something those in the horse racing world are grateful for.

Crystal took Bluegrass Provisions Co. on the road to the Seminole Cup, Gator Cup and Southeast Regional this year, with

products, such as shell pouches. The expanded product line now includes a lot more than just belts, but she’s quick to point out that everything is still handmade in Kentucky and Indiana. Her shell pouches and Dual-Purpose bags, for example, are made by an Amish gentleman in Indiana, just across the Kentucky border.

Another motivator for expanding the product line, she explained, was because the belts are so well made, they don’t wear out, so customers were not coming back. “They had no reason to come back, because they have a belt that would last them forever” she said. All her belts are made of superdurable bridal leather—same as that used for saddles, halters and other horse tack.

“The main thing that makes us unique and different is the hoof pick buckle” she said. “In addition to our belts, you see it on different products like the Dual-Purpose Bag.” For the uninitiated, the hoof pick is an equestrian tool traditionally used for clearing something lodged in a horse’s hoof. It also makes for an interesting and attractive belt buckle.

Included in Bluegrass’s expanded product line is a 1 ½ inch wide hoof pick belt that pairs perfectly with their leather shell pouch. The belt is also well suited for using along with a gun holster. Taking it on and off is fast and easy, making it really handy— especially for a shell pouch belt.

Reaching the Consumer

There are three ways Crystal gets her products into consumers’ hands: retail stores, direct through her website, and setting up at special events—such as steeplechases, horse races and sporting clays shoots.

COVID made it extremely hard to do business in 2020 because there were less events to sell at. On the wholesale side, stores were closed, and retailers were not

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plans to set up at several equestrian events, including the Carolina Cup steeplechase in North Carolina, and the Iroquois Steeplechase in Nashville. She will also be at the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

“The most important thing that I feel very strongly about, is that our products are made in the U.S.” She told me the Amish man who makes her shell pouch and Dual-Purpose Bag doesn’t have a phone or a computer. “We write each other letters… seriously” she said. The latest box of leather products he sent included a gift jar of maple syrup, made on his farm, along with a personalized note.

“All the people who make things for me— that’s how they are… really good people. When people buy a Bluegrass Provisions Co. product, they’re really buying a little piece of America.” n www.bluegrassprovisionsco.com