Our Story
'Build it. The people will come and they'll be inspired'.
This has been my mantra for five years. But few could see what I was convinced was possible. After all, I wasn't an artist and I knew next to nothing about branding and website development.
I had to dig very deep, but when vision is synced with passion and persistence, miracles happen...
"John, this'll never work. You can't hope to compete with the big sporting brands".
I'm John Dickinson, and over the past five years I've heard this over and over.
But this is a very personal story. I have no intention of competing. As the saying goes; 'If you're competing, you're not niching'.
My dream was to develop a brand with a unique and irresistible appeal. It needed to be a brand which people could relate to, and which they'd proudly associate themselves with; 'A tribe with a vibe'.
ActivEdge originated on South Africa's West Coast in 2021. It's since been five years of visioning, designing, sieving, listening, simplifying—and, finally, bringing my dream to life.
I'm an avid mountain biker. I was caught up in the 'gravel-bike' hype. GRiTTi started out as 'Grit Kit' for Gravel Bikes, but it quickly evolved into GRiTTi—representative of some of the many sporting codes and outdoor activities which are so loved by South Africans:
Mountain biking
Gravel biking
Road riding
Pickleball
Running
Paddling
Hiking
Trout fishing
Horse riding
Adventure biking
Family adventure holidays...
Two years later I met Tracey, my absolute stalwart, and moved to South Africa's KZN Midlands. It's an amazing environment for paddling, running and cycling—and meeting like-minded people.
And now, here we are, with my dream coming to life. It's been a heck of a journey, and I'd have had it no other way.
Here's to seeing you out there somewhere—feeling inspired and wearing our brand with pride!
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