About Us
Come see us at 115 West 18th Street Kansas City MO, suite 102
Thursday - Saturday 11am-6pm
How it started:
Meet the founders:
Jonathan and Joseph are the founders of Pancho's Blanket. Even though they are brothers, their stories couldn't be any more different from each other. Despite this, starting a company that helps communities around Mexico had always been a dream and since they both grew up there that dream wasn't too far away.
Growing up in Mexico as missionary kids, the two brothers were always involved in helping communities in Mexico. This one instant in the mountainous region of Puebla there were heavy rainstorms that caused floods and mudslides, blocking all transportation because the roads were literally washed away. The Garvey family decided to make it a priority to take food and provisions to these areas that were cut off from supply lines and essentially the outside world. American teams came to help the Garvey's in this endeavor and would fill up back packs full of provisions and hike to the isolated villages. The people who had thought they were forgotten were fed and given gifts.
This became a Garvey legacy; to feed and clothe those in need. Jonathan and Joseph were always involved with what their parents were doing in the ministry growing up. Whether it was supplying provisions to those in need or building a church in a small village for a local pastor, they were always part of the process.
Jonathan:
Jonathan goes back and forth from Kansas City to Tlaxcala, Mexico. For years he has had a very simple wool coat that matches with everything. This coat is the inspiration for the Original Saco. Kansas City winter is very cold, so it was the perfect coat to have there and everyone loved it. Jonathan would wear his wool coat with a suit or ripped up jeans. The coat was good for it all. After every compliment he'd think to himself, "One day I am going to sell these".
"Hi my name is Jonathan and I grew up in Tlaxcala, Mexico as a missionary kid from the US. When I turned 18 I left Mexico and joined the United States Marine Corps and did two tours to Afghanistan as an infantryman. After my time in the Marine Corps I went to Kansas City and received my bachelors degree in business from UMKC. So much has happened in the in-betweens but now I have returned to Mexico where my family still resides. They opened up a community kitchen in response to COVID-19 which turned into a nonprofit that feeds and clothes underprivileged communities from around the state of Tlaxcala (www.feedafamily.info). A large portion of our proceeds goes to Feed A Family so every purchase directly impacts the community. Me and my brother Joseph decided to start designing our own artisanal products as we work closely with local artisans. Our garments are really unique and we are the only ones who produce them. We love the artisan community, the Mexican community, the underprivileged community who we give to, and we love that our friends enjoy our products almost as much as we enjoy making them."
Joseph:
Joseph lives in Tlaxcala, Mexico and has lived there for the past 20 years. He is a pastor alongside his father Randy.Looking to explore more of the world Joseph got a job with a large seafood supplier and spent a period of time filleting fish on the Alaskan rivers. When in Alaska Joseph would take a big wool hand-knitted sweater, which is now the inspiration for the Oso Blanket.Many people admired the sweater for its warmth and also its great look. Several times, people offered to buy it off him while he was wearing it at work or around town. He thought that starting a business out of the artisanal products from Tlaxcala would be a good idea. When approached with the idea from his brother, he was on board immediately!
Hi I’m Joseph, I grew up in Tlaxcala Mexico. Since I was a kid I have loved the state of Tlaxcala, I grew passionate for its community and people. I have volunteered most of my life to provide for families who need a bit of generosity. Currently I am a pastor in the church my family planted approximately 20 years ago. I have worked as a fish processor, supply chain security consultant and musician. Being in the state of Tlaxcala for so long, I have been able to meet many artisans who have devoted their lives to the art, and so me and my brother were able to meet the right people at the right time and created an awesome vision that we are delighted to share with you: Keeping Others Warm.
Pancho's Blanket
We at Pancho’s Blanket are about one thing: KEEPING OTHERS WARM. Our garments have the purpose of creating for you a full experience of coziness and fashion. We’ve been working with various artisans in the design and craftsmanship of each garment we create. Our handmade apparel is created on foot pedal looms that are over a century old and have been passed down to our artisans by their artisan parents and their parents' parents. We believe in keeping the old methods alive and treasuring them for the richness of the process and beauty of their work. We hope for any and all people who wear our precious garments to feel the detail, art and love put into them.
Keeping others warm is our great privilege and pleasure. For this reason We search for every creative way to give to communities that are in need through the generosity of our customers. One thing is guaranteed: Every purchase will contribute to making the world a better place. We donate a great portion of our profits to feeding and providing healthcare to the poor as well as dressing those in need to impoverished communities in Mexico.
When they started working on this new project the name in their mind was "Ponchos and Blankets". They decided to fuse the two words together into a concept; Pancho's Blanket. A poncho is a blanket with a hole in the center, making it a wearable garment. It's a very typical Mexican attire and Pancho is a common nickname as well. The name Pancho's Blanket made sense because Pancho and Poncho sounds the same but are two different things, and a blanket is an ambiguous term that is essentially a thing you cover yourself with to keep you warm, which is our mission: keeping others warm.
