The SPARTANAT Interview with FROG.PRO: “WE DON’T SET OURSELVES ANY LIMITS” was originally posted in their native German language at www.spartanat.com/2023/02/interview-fabio-von-frog-pro It is a great follow up to the tour of the factory we posted yesterday.

FROG.PRO is gear with function and design from Italy. During our home visit in Parma we talked to FROG.PRO founder Fabio Casali and got into gear-philosphing with the classic questions: Where are you from? Where are you going?

Happy birthday Fabio, FROG.PRO is getting 10 years old. Where are you actually standing as gear company?

Time to party! Ten years have gone by very quickly. I started out as a craftsman offering repairs and custom products and I’m now running a little gem. FROG.PRO today is a small company with less than 15 employees, organized and managed to obtain a very high value for the user and for those who work in the company.

Value in terms of product, as we are committed to offering different solutions from the rest of the market and with attention to the smallest details (that’s why you at SpartanAt nicknamed us “Armani Gear”, right?). When we design a new piece of equipment we don’t set limits: we use the best materials and integrate all the features that can improve the use of the product. Savings policies are then adopted by limiting fabric waste in cutting operations, optimizing sewing processes, taking care of supply logistics, but never at the expense of the product.

Value also in terms of quality of life for those who work with us. We have always invested in the implementation of technologies to facilitate and improve everyone’s work; and in the improvement of the workplace, as I believe that to create excellence you need to live in an excellent way, to breathe beauty and feel it deeply. For this reason we have always kept the manufacturing in house, guaranteeing 100% made in Italy products.

Therefore, I do not feel like expressing a judgment on the positioning on the market, as we are a unique reality in our field, aimed at those who share our values.

Ten years ago: where did it start?

The idea of founding an equipment manufacturing company came to my mind during my military service in the 2º RGT Alpini. Immediately after the leave, I looked for a temporary job that could make me earn some money and in 2013, overcoming the skepticism of relatives and acquaintances, I finally started the company FROG.PRO. I was alone. I rented a 70s workshop of about 80 square meters near my parent’s house: it wasn’t nice, but it was my laboratory, where I could finally give free reign to my creativity. Although I had already learned how to sew, I immediately collided with many problems related to the management of an entrepreneurial activity. I had to learn how to manage sales through social media and website, use a camera and photo editing softwares, create administrative documents, managing the relationships with banks, etc. Luckily, I am a very resilient person and I managed to take advantage of all the obstacles that stood in front of me to draw positive experiences and enrich my cultural background.

What was your experience in those 10 years?

During these ten years I lived through beautiful experiences alternated with really bad and stressful moments. In the company I celebrated with my team the goals achieved. I got angry at myself and at them for failures. I shared with them looks of satisfaction after very intense periods in which we all gave our best. I laughed a lot. I cried. I met many people and with some of them I formed friendships that still last today. I had a lot of different experiences. Looking back, I can say that I enjoyed every single moment of this awesome journey.

What can we expect from FROG.PRO? What is upcoming?

Over the past two years we have expanded our workshop to nearly 600 square meters as well as optimizing and automating many internal processes to structure the company for future growth. The products we make today are the result of these organizational efforts combined with all the passion we always put into our work. Recently, we finished the development of the new HAWK plate carrier, new cummerbunds, new pouches and we also patented a new quick detach system for modular panels called U.LOK. In addition to this, we will dedicate this year to completing the offer of our current catalogue. The best is yet to come…

FROG.PRO on the Internet

SPARTANAT: www.spartanat.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 25th, 2023 at 16:00 and is filed under Guest Post, Industry, International. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.