I bought a new Snap-on hat off the tool truck today.
There wasn’t any grand plan behind it. I wasn’t specifically looking for something Canadian, researching where it came from, or trying to make some sort of political statement with my purchase.
I simply liked the hat.
The dark camouflage, mesh back and “Man vs Machine” patch caught my eye. Being a mechanic, it seemed pretty appropriate. I tried it on, thought it suited me, and bought it.
Then I noticed the small holographic sticker on the brim.
CHOKO Authentics.
That sent me looking.
And what I discovered made me like the hat a little more.
The company behind the Snap-on apparel is Canadian
CHOKO Authentics is not just some anonymous apparel supplier.
The company describes itself as a privately owned Canadian company based in rural Uxbridge, Ontario. It was founded in 1983 by Ed Hakonson, who, according to the company, continues to own, operate and guide the business today.
CHOKO’s business has grown well beyond its early days producing snowmobile apparel. Today it designs, develops and distributes licensed merchandise for major automotive, agricultural and tool brands.
One of those brands is Snap-on.
CHOKO specifically says it creates, designs and distributes Snap-on apparel both in Canada and around the world.
Its headquarters are still in Uxbridge, Ontario.
That’s a pretty interesting Canadian connection for something I bought almost without thinking about it.
A Canadian company in a very familiar world
What I particularly like about this story is that CHOKO operates in a world many rural Canadians, farmers, mechanics and tradespeople will immediately recognize.
Tools. Trucks. Agriculture. Motorsports. Workwear.
Along with Snap-on, the company works with automotive and agricultural brands and even owns the Farmers Feed Families brand.
CHOKO says its location in rural Ontario has given it strong ties to the farming community.
That’s about as Canadian Country Life as you can get.
It is also a reminder that Canadian businesses aren’t limited to products carrying a giant maple leaf on the front.
Sometimes the Canadian company is behind the scenes.
There’s an important distinction: Canadian-owned doesn’t necessarily mean Canadian-made
I want to make one distinction clear because I believe it matters when we’re talking about Canadian products.
I’m not claiming this hat itself was manufactured in Canada.
CHOKO has previously explained that it works with manufacturers in several countries around the world. Its Canadian operation handles areas including design, product development, licensing and distribution, but individual products can have an international manufacturing supply chain.
So there is a difference between:
Made in Canada
and
Made or supplied by a Canadian-owned and operated company.
Both can matter, but they’re not the same thing.
If we’re going to encourage people to support Canadian businesses, I think we should be accurate about that distinction.
Buying Canadian isn’t always obvious
We’ve heard a lot over the last couple of years about supporting Canadian businesses.
Usually that discussion focuses on grocery-store labels or obvious Canadian brands.
But this little sticker reminded me that it can be worth looking a little deeper.
The logo on the front of a product doesn’t necessarily tell you who designed it, who licensed it, who distributes it or which Canadian company is employing people behind the scenes.
In this case, I walked onto a Snap-on truck and bought a hat because I thought it looked good.
Only afterward did I discover there was a Canadian-owned Ontario company behind the apparel.
That wasn’t why I bought it.
But I’m glad there is.
Small purchases aren’t going to change the economy — but they still count
I’m realistic about this.
Nobody is going to rebuild Canada’s economy by buying a baseball cap.
Modern manufacturing and trade are enormously interconnected, and pretending that every product we buy can be entirely Canadian from raw material to finished product isn’t realistic.
But where we spend our money still matters.
When I have the choice between products I like equally, knowing that one supports a Canadian-owned business can absolutely influence my decision.
Especially when that company has been operating here for more than four decades.
CHOKO says it started in 1983. That’s over 40 years of a Canadian company designing products, building relationships with major international brands and competing in a global market.
That’s worth recognizing.
Maybe we should look at the label more often
What started as nothing more than me buying a new work hat turned into a good little reminder.
Sometimes supporting Canadian businesses doesn’t require completely changing what we buy.
Sometimes it simply requires knowing a little more about who is behind the things we’re already buying.
I’ll still buy things based on quality, value and whether I actually like them.
That’s exactly why I bought this hat.
But finding out afterward that the company behind it is Canadian-owned and operated?
I’ll consider that a bonus.
And next time I’m looking through the merchandise on the Snap-on truck, I’ll probably pay a little more attention to that small CHOKO label.
Sources
All factual company information was checked against CHOKO’s own first-party information:
CHOKO Authentics — Inside CHOKO / Company History
CHOKO Authentics — Snap-on Brand Partnership
CHOKO Authentics — Small Company, Big Impact
CHOKO Authentics — Contact and Uxbridge, Ontario Location
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