Brand Spotlight: CG Habitats
CG Habitats was built on a community of people living their habitats to the fullest and enjoying life. The company is centered around people passionate about board sports. CG Habitats takes pride in producing only the highest quality products available and a strong focus on only selling to specialty skate shop retailers. Street Kingpins caught up with CG Habitats' Aaron Mynett to learn more about CG Habitats and their mission!
What was the inspiration behind CG Habitats?
"We started out all meeting through snowboarding. Obviously skateboarding is a big part of all of our lives, but snowboarding is a big stoke of all of ours as well, and that is where the brand got started. A crew of us met in Breckenridge CO and started the company, it originally focused on gloves/mitts and apparel. Over the years it made sense to move down into the city and expand our operation. We began a summer line and have now been in living in Denver area just over 6 years doing both Summer and Winter apparel. I’ve been with CG for the last 11 years now. So, it has been quite the ride and it has been great."
I remember seeing these lolly-pop stickers everywhere I went it seemed. I didn’t even know what it was for the first year, and then come to find out CG Habitats was behind it. What was up with the lolly-pop
"The whole deal with the lolly-pop had to do with the original branding of CandyGrind. The name and logo have a long story behind it that the founder Austin could talk to you about for hours. The name is suppose to resemble any feeling you get of stokage. Like wanting to get up in the morning to go shred, to you stomping a trick, or any kind of euphoria feeling that comes from riding a board, any kind of board. That’s how it started, it is all about the good feeling you get shredding. Then the logo followed the name. It just fit, and it was a catchy logo. We did tons of gorilla marketing and spread the word that way."
CG Habitats was formerly known as CandyGrind. Why the re-branding?
"The re-branding we did in 2015, which was more of a restructuring to support the growth of the company and future initiatives and debut of our new accessories. CandyGrind is the mothership behind CG Habitats and our new non-profit kids line, Kushi-Riki. We just wanted to become a more mature brand but maintain our original following. It is a little complicated but overall it is a re-structure to support further growth."
CG has the most quality board shorts and technical fabric soft goods I have ever used. I just love it. I am seriously wearing a pair of the 311 board shorts right now at the office. I basically live in them. CG has tons of cool gear and accessories, what is your favorite item from CG Habitats?
"I have to say our technical apparel! The tech T’s, which a lot of people don’t know about. It is a normal fitting t-shirt that an everyday skater would wear but it is made with a technical fabric. You pay $20 for a regular cotton t-shirt versus $34 for ours, but our t-shirts are more durable, they are moisture wicking, quick dry material. It keeps you cool and it is more breathable than cotton. If you get super hot, drench the shirt in a water fountain or the river ring it out and put it back on. It’s like the best thing ever to skate around in on a hot day."
You guys started a new surf team as well, right?
"Yeah, we have some awesome down to earth surfers that are up and coming in the game. The surf world is definitely a different world than we are use to. We realize how much it takes to get into the surf game and we are stoked to have them on the team. Obviously Denver is not the biggest surf scene because we are nowhere near the coast. That’s what is cool about the shorts though, they are fully functional swimwear with zipper pockets, key fob, welded seams, quick dry material, yet they function as every day shorts as well. At the same time you can wear them out on the town, skate in them, and then jump into the water. Trying to have full diversity in the summer apparel."
What skaters have inspired you guys over the years?
"Oh there are a few, I have to give a huge shout out to Andrew Tito Hook. @titothemisfit. That kid has the best attitude I ever met and he just crushes it on a skateboard. He went through a gnarly bike accident and that probably made him an even better person and made him skate even harder just because of that. It is like nothing could stop that kid, he is the definition of a positive person. He had a lot to do with growing our skate program and has been an inspiration through the whole deal, which we all really have appreciated. So shout out to Tito!"
Skater: Andrew Hook - Photo: Chad Otterstrom - Location: Kingdom Skatepark Breckenridge, CO
He is actually a skater on Street Kingpins and absolutely crushes it for sure. Tito is the Street Kingpin of Breckenridge skatepark and holds a title on the app in the Western Slope Colorado. I will second that!
"Yeah man he was always the one that was so stoked to go out and film street all day. We would hang out and seriously every morning it was, “lets go skate dude!” He would get us all motivated. I think that is really what kept out skate program going. Originally it was sponsoring skateboarders with our T-shirts and backpacks, which we discontinued for a couple years. We recently brought back some new backpacks which is really exciting."
"TJ Snoody, Nick Miller, and Zach Anderson skated with us. The Grand Junction boys. Gunnar Frazier also, all those kids inspired us. When I saw Gunner Fraziers part back in the day with that Black and Yellow, Wiz Khalifa song. I was just like WTF? How is this kid not a pro? I feel like he has been so underrated. He had some injury too and just came back 100% and some. I just saw some new footage that the Berrics re-posted of him recently and I was just blown away."
"Then there was the Texas local ripper, Edward Sanchez. Man that kid can ride. I have never seen a skatepark rode like that. He just charges and has so much power in his skating. I haven’t heard from him for a while but if you see him tell him to hit us up. All of those skaters really stoked us up on our apparel line. Also, the way we have evolved into the technical apparel and all around streetwear has picked up in the skate world."
What is your favorite part of being in the industry, any challenges?
"I would say that overall it is really good. If you work in the board sports industry, if you want to call it sports or you don’t want to call it a sport, if you work in the skateboard, surf or snowboard industry, you have to do more than the typical 9-5. You are always on the grind and you have to make things happen. You are constantly talking to people in the industry, talking to buyers, shops, or ambassadors. If you want to work in the industry you have to be committed to dealing with some kind of overtime or something beyond your normal business roll. There are always events and trade shows, there are the kids that you have to go watch or film or whatever, the list goes on. It really is the best industry to be in and I would never change anything. I love my life. Skateboarding and snowboarding all the time and all the people I get to meet that it is worth it and it is the best."
What is coming up with CG Habitats in the near future?
"Recently we have been so busy traveling and doing trade shows, focusing on sales and growing the brand. We love to sponsor local events. We always do events with shops, we love sponsoring rail jams or skate competitions. Any small event that comes up we hope to sponsor it."
We will have to get a skate contest going with CG Habitats!
"Absolutely we will, and we are going to promote the shit out of it and get the skaters hyped. It is going down, D-Park."
What do you think about Social Media? What do you think about the Street Kingpins social media platform providing sponsored skate rewards to anyone that puts in the work on their board, regardless of how good they are?
"At the moment I think Street Kingpins is totally underrated and has yet to see the potential it has. Social media is so crazy these days. You might see your favorite pro do a trick and it can almost turn some people off of skating or whatever it is. Its like aw I’ll never get to that level so why should I keep going? I think social media turns a lot of people off that are trying to make it pro rather than turning them on to it. You need to take the positive out of it and I think it can also be used to propel the progression. Street Kingpins kind of turns that around and brings the pressure or focus off trying to get sponsored. Some of these big companies get thousands of sponsorship requests and it is so competitive that it can be discouraging. I feel like Street Kingpins can give skaters more hope. It gets them off Instagram and Facebook and really helps people get outside actually skateboarding. I really think Street Kingpins is the best app for skateboarding to date."
"It all comes down to having fun. Don’t take it too serious. Love your life, enjoy skating. It brings lots of joy, friends and stoke to everyone. Get out there and go skateboard."
- Aaron Mynett
Listen as a PODCAST
We are very proud to have CG Habitats on the Street Kingpins app. Make sure to subscribe to CG Habitats on the app. You can sponsor yourself with CG Habitats by skateboarding on Street Kingpins app and cashing in your Street Credit for free skateboard rewards. All you have to do is have fun doing what you do and you can gain support through your network. That is what it is all about. We could not do this without the support of the brands we love and the skaters we have met along the way. Having CG Habitats on the rewards store means the world to us and to the skate community on Street Kingpins. So go start getting after it right now, the GAME IS ON...