We grew up on the beautiful southern coast of North Carolina with the Atlantic Ocean as our playground. Our days were spent on the water – surfing, swimming, fishing, exploring the many little islands that surround us, or just laying on the beach. As we got older, we came to appreciate the beauty we were so lucky to have been surrounded with our entire lives. There is nothing like waking up every morning to the smell of saltwater, whether it’s the ocean, sounds, or bays at your door.

Saltwater Raised® and Raised on Saltwater® were born of this love. Friends and siblings had careers that moved them away to places where they were no longer on or near the water. They would always talk about how much they missed being on the ocean, that the love for it was still in them, and it was deep. They talked about how the first place they wanted to head to after setting foot back home was the water, to hear the roar of the ocean and smell the salt in the air. It was then that they felt like they were home. It never leaves you. It’s in you.

Saltwater Raised® and Raised on Saltwater® are meant for wherever an ocean touches land. It’s anywhere in the world. It’s a longing for saltwater, sun, surf, and sand. It’s where we’re from, it’s what we love, it’s who we are, and what we do.

We believe it’s a personal expression, that everyone has a different emotional connection as to what makes them Saltwater Raised®.  For some, it’s simply the smell of the ocean that brings them back to a specific time; for someone else, it’s the serenity of sitting on the beach or a dock watching the sun go down.  It could be the smell of the marshes, the feel of sand under your feet, the spray of saltwater on your face, or being on your boat in the open ocean.  It could be the quiet peacefulness of sitting alone on your surfboard at daybreak.  The feeling of being on still water and paddling in the quietness of a new day.  The light of a new morning on a deserted beach.  It’s different for everyone.  The common ground in Saltwater Raised® is that we love to be in, on, or near the ocean.

The idea was born on a hot and humid typical eastern North Carolina August afternoon in our office at Eastern Offset Printing Co. in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. After much discussion and numerous rounds of logo ideas we finally had it. Now it was time to bring it to the public and see what they thought. We started out making stickers and giving them away to whoever would take them. The response was fantastic, people understood and attached to the brand immediately. They began telling us what made them Saltwater Raised® – being raised here, the love of the ocean, the beach, fishing, diving, surfing – everyone’s reason was different. The demand for t-shirts was overwhelming. Expansion to other products, requested by you, soon followed and we’re still adding items.

When we started Saltwater Raised® we never imagined the places it would show up, the opportunities that would be presented to us, or develop the great relationships with people from across the world we’ve never met face-to-face. We’ve sold shirts, license plates, stickers, and decals to people from California, Oregon, Vermont, New York, Florida, France, New Zealand, and Australia. We’ve seen our logo on national TV, been mentioned on national TV, and even have our own official surf dog, Haole. How cool is that! We also have a local dog Nikki, who, along with Haole, are the inspiration behind our third brand Saltwater Dog™.

We’ll continue to build all three of our current brands and we’ll continue to expand our merchandise as long as you want it.

Connect with us.  Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  Shoot us an e-mail.  I’d love to hear from you.

Saltwater Raised® and Raised on Saltwater® are registered trademarks. Saltwater Dog™ is a trademark.