From Humble Beginnings to Fly Tying Royalty: Ann Kitchener's Journey of Passion, Innovation, and Conservation at SemperFli

In this captivating episode of Mending on the Fly, host Devin Carlson delves into fly fishing, fly tying, and conservation with Ann Kitchener, the visionary CEO of SemperFli. As a global leader in eco-friendly fly-tying materials, Ann shares her remarkable journey of transforming a small family business in Yorkshire into a thriving international brand. From navigating the challenges of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic to receiving the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise, Ann's story is one of resilience, innovation, and unwavering dedication to preserving our natural resources and engaging younger generations in the sport. Discover how SemperFli's commitment to quality and sustainability has revolutionized the fly-tying industry, and be inspired by Ann's passion for the art of fly fishing and her mission to create a lasting impact on the environment and the community.

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Semperfli Website: https://www.semperfli.net/
Semperfli Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/semperfli_flytying/

Shownotes:

00:00 - Introduction to Ann Kitchener and Semper Fly
03:00 - Ann's background and the humble beginnings of Semper Fly
06:00 - The decision to focus on fly fishing and fly tying
10:00 - Developing synthetic, eco-friendly materials for fly tying
14:00 - The importance of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
19:00 - The R&D process and Semper Fly's commitment to quality and innovation
22:00 - Semper Fly's business model and relationship with dealers
25:00 - The impact of winning the Queen's Award for Enterprise
32:00 - The role of Yorkshire in the history of fly fishing and Semper Fly's local presence
35:00 - Ann's personal growth as a business leader and the influence of motherhood
39:00 - Navigating the challenges of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic
45:00 - Semper Fly's new premises and continued growth
49:00 - Future goals and plans for Semper Fly
53:00 - The importance of engaging younger generations in fly fishing and tying
56:00 - Ann's personal experiences as an angler
58:00 - Closing thoughts and how to connect with Semper Fly

Creators & Guests

Host

Devin Carlson

Guest

Ann Kitchener

Ann Kitchener is the visionary CEO and co-founder of SemperFli, a leading manufacturer of high-quality fly tying materials based in Yorkshire, UK. With a background in IT and e-commerce, Ann and her husband, Andy, founded SemperFli in 2010, driven by their shared passion for fly fishing and a desire to create innovative, eco-friendly materials for the global fly tying community. Under Ann's leadership, SemperFli has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its presence to numerous countries and earning a reputation for excellence in quality and customer service. Ann's dedication to her craft and commitment to protecting the environment have been instrumental in SemperFli's success, culminating in the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2022. As a proud mother and grandmother, Ann values the importance of family and community, which is reflected in SemperFli's close-knit team and strong relationships with dealers and customers worldwide. Her passion for engaging younger generations in the sport of fly fishing and tying continues to inspire her work and drive SemperFli's mission to provide the best materials and support for anglers and tyers of all ages and skill levels.

What is Mending on the Fly?

"Mending on the Fly" is a podcast hosted by Devin Carlson that delves into the world of fly fishing, focusing on its therapeutic and environmental aspects. Through engaging discussions, expert insights, and captivating stories from the water's edge, each episode takes listeners on a serene journey down the river to explore the profound impact of fly fishing on personal well-being and conservation. Whether you're a seasoned angler looking to perfect your craft, a newcomer navigating the complex world of fly fishing equipment, or someone passionate about safeguarding our precious waterways, this podcast is for you. It's an invitation to connect with nature, dive deep into the art of fly fishing, and contribute to the vital cause of conservation. So, grab your gear and prepare to wade into the enriching world of fly fishing with Devin. See you on the water!

SemperFli_Audition_Multi_mixdown
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Devin: [00:00:00] Okay, I'm gonna click record and then I'm just gonna give it a couple seconds to silence so I get a nice clip

Ann: Cuz I'm in a shared space Andy. Would you mind silencing your phone, please? I didn't know your your desk phone. Yep your mobile. Okay. Let me just make my other phone I've got to work out how I do this.

I can't remember how to Okay

I thought I could I thought I could put it on do not disturb. Anyway It's okay.

Devin: Well, and if anything rings or whatever, I can just edit it out. So no worries. Um, let me just get like two seconds of silence for a noise clip.

That'll be [00:01:00] perfect. And then that way I can go back in and edit it. Um, and we'll just go ahead and kick it off and see where, see where this goes. Joining me today is Ann Kitchner, the acclaimed CEO of Semper Fly, a leading manufacturer of fly tying materials used by anglers and commercial fly tires worldwide.

Under Ann's leadership, Semper Fly has achieved remarkable success, recently winning the prestigious Queens Award for enterprise and international trade. With a passion for innovation and a commitment to serving the global fly time community and has guided Semper fly to become a true powerhouse in the industry and welcome to the show.

Thank you so much for, for being here.

Ann: Thank you, Devin. Um, I'm delighted to be here and be a part of your podcast. It is a great honor for me. So thank you very

much.

Devin: Well, and it's, uh, It's been fun to just kind of go back and forth with you because ever [00:02:00] since I went to my first Fly tying show convention here in the states.

It's like, you know, I see semper fly materials everywhere I've got a big pile sitting here in front of me, which we can get into as well. But uh, Yeah, it's really An honor to have you on the show. Um, i'm thrilled and I appreciate it.

Ann: Thank you very much

Devin: Yeah If you would would you just give us a quick kind of background of yourself Tell us where you're from and and uh, because I know you didn't just grow up uh wanting to to Be the fly tying powerhouse that you are

Ann: humble beginnings um We're based in the uk But originally i'm from a very small part of south wales From a mining community Um, we, we left Wales when I was young.

My, my, my dad was offered work in, in, [00:03:00] over in England. So, so we moved to hence the lack of Welsh accent right now. But, um, uh, my dad did quite well there. He took himself out of mining. He worked really, really hard and he became a very well respected teacher. My, my mom went into nursing and we, we, we grew up in England and, um, Yeah, I, I met this guy one day at the swimming pool called Andy, and the rest, as they say, is, is history.

Um, we moved to Yorkshire in the very, very, uh, early 90s with our, our two children. And originally our career was, uh, Both of us, we were working in it specializing in oh, e-commerce. Andy's a true geek, real geek, and I was on the sort of sales and marketing side. Um,

Devin: okay.

Ann: But, uh, so that,

Devin: and so that was, and, and, and were you in that industry kind of in the nineties during the, the internet [00:04:00] boom or?

Yes, we

Ann: rode the boom and the bust. Oh, interesting. Yeah. Completely. Yeah. And it was fun. It was fun. But we got to a point where, to be honest, our kids were leaving home. One got at one, went to university, one moved out. And we thought, you know what? If we don't make the change we want now, we'll end up in another cycle.

You know, we're going to get stuck. We wanted to do something that we both really, really enjoyed. So we Took a little break to work out what we wanted to do and Yeah, we jumped into the wonderful world of fly fishing and fly tying

Devin: Now what what sort of what was the timeline there? So this was now end of 2006

Ann: when we started exploring what we could do in the fly fishing world So we spent a bit of time exploring it, looking at the market, [00:05:00] looking at what was out there.

And by 2010, we were on the R& D of the materials that you now know, uh, that, you know, that I used worldwide.

Devin: And, and why in 2006 did you look at fly fishing as opposed to, uh, Candlesticks, you know

Ann: Andy my my dear husband of of 40 years is a passionate angler a real passion and he's Been very fortunate.

He's fished the world and Yeah, i've gone with him where I can a lot of his trips where I mean he's fished the himalayas He's done the arctic. He's done. He's done great barrier reef and anything and everything in between Um But that that love came home because at that stage we were living in yorkshire, which is the home of fly fishing You know, it's where all the history comes [00:06:00] from and uh So we but we lived on a river, you know, we spent our lives on the river.

We did everything from uh Walking our dog along the river fishing the river our kids playing in the river. So we knew that we wanted that To become our life, to work in an environment that we were passionate about that, I'll be frank, that wasn't as horrendously stressful as the IT corporate world, where we answered just to ourselves.

But at the same time, we recognized gaps. We recognized gaps in the quality of the materials that were available. You know, they weren't, we could see that some of the materials were, were just re hacked versions of something else from another industry. They weren't designed for purpose. So that's where we got stuck in.

We wanted to develop something that was [00:07:00] designed for fly tires for fly fishing. So that's what happened in the start of 2010.

Devin: I love that because, um, really like up until recently, I've only gotten serious about fly tying. And like, I've got a ton of stuff from Joanne Fabrics and Michaels on the wall, but you know, the thread is different.

Like when I look at your like, I've got that some nano silk here. Um, I mean it is just It's perfect for fly tying, uh, and it's durable and it's the strongest out there and of the very best quality

Ann: Devin Yeah, it should be perfect for your needs. I hope

Devin: It certainly is and so 2006 you got the [00:08:00] idea and you you didn't start the r& d until 2010.

Yeah

Ann: The kind of retail world during that time Um, okay. Yeah, we spent quite a bit of time looking into that but the proper r& d started in 2010

Devin: Excuse me, okay,

Ann: so We uncovered a lot and and can you tell me a little bit? No, sorry, devin. Carry on, please

Devin: Excuse me. Um, can you tell me a little bit about the R& D process and how, how that even works? Because I know, uh, you know, it seems to me that one of your big things, uh, is, Creating synthetic materials that are exportable, that you can travel with and not, you know, be worried about getting held up at customs, um, was that the initial thought, [00:09:00] uh, or, you know, where did your, where did the R& D start and, and kind of where is it now?

At the time

Ann: when we were doing this, we were, Very very proud parents. We're now very very proud parents and extremely proud grandparents. Okay, and Congratulations And we want to do all we can to protect the natural world both for our next generations and future generations You know, maybe our great grandchildren who knows?

Okay and beyond And everybody else that gets involved in this. The natural world, when it comes to fly fishing, is rife with challenges. You only have to look at what's happened to the supply chain, to the quality, to the, what happened in avian flu, etc. But what's happening to the world where, you know, rare birds, you know, we don't see them anymore.[00:10:00]

Sorry. So we don't, we don't see them anymore. You know, so we wanted to make sure that we protect what we've got for the future. Yeah. So what we wanted to do was go down the synthetic material route where we use recycled, recyclable materials as best we can so that for our little grandson, Louis, that, you know, he can be enjoying his fly tying into his dotage, you know?

Devin: Yeah. Yeah. I think it, I mean, it's, it makes a lot of sense.

Ann: Yeah. And that's our whole raison d'etre. Yeah. Given, you know, various

Devin: And given the various, uh, I mean there's there's oftentimes like legislative Random yeah in in local communities in like Portland or and I can't remember if it's Washington State or Oregon Maybe it's not [00:11:00] Portland

Ann: Yeah Yeah, it's a worry

Devin: Yeah, I think they were able to fight it.

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

Ann: It's a real worry. But, you know, in fly fishing we've all got so used to, to dealing with, using peacock in our, in our work. Everybody does. And I'll be honest, in the UK, peacocks are aplenty. But there is a part of the species, um, that are at risk. And that's why a peacock was made CITES registered.

So you have to be really, really careful when using your peacock, especially if you are traveling and not many people know that. So we've put a lot of energy into developing, you know, a substitute for peacock in different products that we have. And we, in fact, we've just released in January, a synthetic peacock hurl, which has gone down really, really well.

I'm pleased to say.

Devin: [00:12:00] Yeah, I saw that. And I actually just ordered some, uh, from a local shop here. Looking forward to getting that I ordered that on Saturday, but um can for our listeners and for me Can you just tell us a little bit about what's sites?

Ann: It's a way of making sure that our natural environment isn't put at risk So when you go through customs, you know, if you were coming in Carrying I don't mean to be as flippant as this sounds but you know in elephants just for example, they are protected Yeah, so you would go Getting serious trouble if you were caught carrying such an item through Um, and and peacock is on that wrist on that register.

So when you're Traveling in particular if you've got peacock feathers In your flies in your tying kit and you know, a lot of tires do [00:13:00] travel to international shows We get lots of guys from the states come over to the shows over here, for example and into europe and vice versa You And, uh, we, we travel into the states ourselves.

But unless you can prove the origins of where that came from, that feather came from, and you've got a veterinary certificate for it, uh, and it's been treated as well, then you, you run the risk of having a society's, uh, registration put against your name. So every time you travel, you'll get tapped on the shoulder and called over by the customs guys and be inspected.

Devin: And, and I just looked it up. It's Site CES is an acronym. It's the Convention on international Trade. That's right. Endangered Protecting our World Species of Wild FA and Flora. Yeah. Yeah. And it's an international agreement, uh, that I assume probably all of, well, the uk, the US on many other countries. The EU at least, I'm sure.

Yeah. Yeah. [00:14:00] Um, interesting. And how.

Did you guys base your R& D on this? Because it looks like, it looks like this, uh, legis, or this, uh, international agreement was signed in the 70s by 80 countries. Oh, yeah. It's been there for a very, very long time. So, yes, it's a

Ann: concern for us. At the end of the day, we want to provide our customers and fly tires around the world with the very, very best materials.

If we can avoid Harming our natural world if we can avoid any problems for people when they're traveling for or for our dealers, you know Importing exporting then that's absolutely our our focus, but it's all about quality

And

Devin: how I mean without getting into too much

Too much of your your [00:15:00] your corporate secrets I know that you know so many natural fibers depend on the like water repelling ability, uh, you know, to keep a dry fly afloat or, or for whatever reason, how have you guys been able to develop materials that are able to repel moisture in a safe environmentally friendly way and you know with conservation in mind because I know like Even on my vest right now I did some research about the floatant that I use and it's just full of chemicals.

So I'm gonna stop using that I'm

Ann: very blessed Devin that I I have a team here that are experts in in their field And our absolute focus is to deliver the best so you're right. I can't share trade secrets with you. I'm, [00:16:00] sorry Um, I would know that's fine a very very distressed team if I was to Give the game away.

Um But obviously, you know that this is something that's very close to our heart and we just want to do our very best For tires around the world.

Devin: Yeah, and I mean it works. It works. Whatever you guys are doing works Um, but is there, however you guys do it, is environmental, uh, protection? Yeah, we even have an

Ann: environmental policy in our catalogue, uh, etc.

So, we generate our own electricity, for example, here. You know, we use solar panels, we, we recycle everything. Um, we, it, it is something that's very close to our heart. We, we, we have Actually we do have one member of the team who, he's one of his roles 'cause we all multitask here. Um, you know, he monitors how we do these things and how, how [00:17:00] well we are doing.

So he flags up anything that's of any concern and if, if ever anything should pop up, we would jump on that immediately.

Devin: Mm. And going back a little bit, uh, back to your kind of IT background and corporate. First of all, are you the boss or is Andy the

Ann: boss? I don't know what he'd say. My name is over the door, Devin.

Okay, I'm CEO. Okay? Got it. That's all, that's all I needed to know. But, to be fair, credit where it's due. We founded the company together. He's a very clever man. And he, we do jokingly call him the nutty professor here, because he's the, he's the inventor of all the materials. We have very, very complementary skills, so it is very much a 50 50 split of what we do.

What we do and how we do it. We we we have very [00:18:00] yeah respectable Sorry, is that the right word? But you know complimentary skills For each other. Yeah, um, so in a nutshell kind of he invents it and I talk about it You know, but please understand that it's not just andy and I here if i'm in an upstairs office right now There's a whole team but beneath me.

There's a there's armies of people right now doing dyeing spooling making materials packaging materials Stacking them on shelves in a warehouse shipping them out the door Um, and then we have the admin people the sales people, you know, it's not just andy and I anymore this This Company who we sometimes liken to our third child, um, it's definitely out there.

It's got legs and it's, and it's really doing its own thing these days.

I

Devin: love it. [00:19:00] How much did your experience help you start this company?

Ann: Semper Fi started very humbly to be fair. Yeah, but we both worked in the corporate world. So having worked in large companies I think we had a lot of experience to bring to this party.

So we were very hot on customer service We're very good at the infrastructure and the systems that we put in place. Everything is very solid here How we work with our our staff etc and our customers So I do think that I had a real a real balance there That's, um, a real positive effect on Semperfly's

growth.

Devin: And I know that you are business to business right now, uh, but was there ever a time when you were direct to consumer or is there a, [00:20:00] is there any plan to go direct to consumer or? Semperfly's always been direct to consumer. How has that played a role?

Ann: You know, we we spent an awful lot of time building the channels and we have some fantastic partners around the world Uh, yeah in some countries we go straight to the shops In other countries we go to distributors or wholesalers depending on which terminology you use, but we also supply factories Um and anything and everything in between really on a trade level and and it works You know, we are aware that other manufacturers have changed their policies, but what we've seen there is it upsets the channels, you know, you're in competition with your dealers And we have some fantastic relationships with our dealers in the States.

Um, you know, we have a distribution team and they're just the best people to work with. They, they completely match our [00:21:00] ethos. There are a great bunch of people who look after the Semperfly dealers in the States so well. We, you know, we're really proud to be working with them. And I think we're now in our eighth year of working with them.

We speak to them pretty much every day. We've spent time together in person. I don't want to upset that relationship

Devin: No, no, and if it's uh, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Ann: so

semper

Devin: fly has from my perspective at least boomed Since since 2010 over the past 14 years What have been some of your? Significant milestones either planned or unplanned that you guys have What have you accomplished, have gone through, uh, to bring you where you are today?

Oh, there's

Ann: so many. You know, we've got so many wonderful experiences that we've been through, the travels that we've done, we've seen some amazing places, met some incredible people, [00:22:00] proud to, some of the world's very best fly tires are dear friends of ours, and we've spent really good quality time with them, and we've fished in amazing places, um.

But the highlight has to be the queen's award that yeah Uh, can you talk about that a little bit goosebump even thinking about it now? And we were in the states when we found out we'd won as well. So Um for u. s audience, oh, there's like some irony there. I feel like absolutely So we got the last queen's award before our darling.

Um, late queen died. So, um, Yeah, so basically For a u. s audience just to explain the queen's award is the highest accolade You any business can get here. The best description I can give is it's like being given a knighthood for your company. And the way it works is anybody can apply and there's different categories, categories that you can [00:23:00] apply for.

We went for international trade because 93 percent of what we do is export. So 92

Devin: percent you said 93%. Okay.

Ann: And you know, our customers are in pretty much every corner of the globe, you know, out in the far East, you know, TM code distribute for us in Japan, for example, we know a great partners in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, all of Scandinavia, Europe, States, Canada, you name it.

Um, they're everywhere and we love each and every one of them. So we, we applied under that. That category for international trade and the way it works is you fill out these forms you send all your information in and then you wait And you wait While everything is assessed. It's a very long process because everything is considered very very carefully And then you find out that you've been shortlisted [00:24:00] And at that point you start getting excited, but you're not allowed to tell anybody.

It's all a it's all a secret and then So we go to the next yeah, it's an oscar nomination. It really is. Um, So the next stage was and then you have to be audited Okay, because they're not just gonna Do it without a full check. So we hope that this queen's award gives You know people reassurance in us as a company that we've been verified by by the very best So you you get audited and that information gets submitted and you wait again and and and you wait some more and then We were not it was 2022 We were over for the iftd show.

We were over in salt lake and we were getting ready for the show We opened our email and bang, there's this email that says We are [00:25:00] delighted to inform you that um on behalf of her majesty the queen that um, You've been a a winner of the queen's award for international trade I haven't quite got the wording right, but it was it was just the most amazing wording.

I'll have to dig out. Yeah

Ah,

Ann: that's it the queen's accepted the prime minister's recommendation That your company be awarded A Queen's award for international trade. That's it. It's come back to me. So, the thing was that we were under strict embargo. So we had to go to that show that day and not tell a soul.

And we went around with these grins, you know? People must have thought there was something seriously, seriously odd with those Brits that are over.

Devin: They are unusually happy today. These two.

Ann: So So anyway, you're under embargo because the actual full announcement gets announced as it was then on the Queen's birthday [00:26:00] Obviously things have changed now.

They've moved it to a King's Award now

Devin: Right. Yeah, I looked at the website. It's like the Queen's Award doesn't show up anymore No, we have King

Ann: Charles now And so what happens is you go to a reception at Buckingham Palace by that stage Sadly, our Queen was not well enough to attend. So it was attended by The then Prince Charles and Princess Anne A lovely time was had.

Um, after that then, the Lord Lieutenant comes to your premises. Now the Lord Lieutenant is, or Lieutenant, I think as you say in the States, um, they are the King or Queen's representative. So you have to treat them as though they're royalty, but they come in all their beautiful finery and they come to, To make a formal proclamation, which is a scroll that comes out and is read out by the deputy And then you're [00:27:00] presented with the proclamation which is signed by the queen and the prime minister And they present you with an award as well.

And and then you party devon then you just party you have

You just Yeah, it's done. Yeah, we had a really good day. We had a really really good day

Devin: and what What year was that?

That's

Devin: really I mean that's just incredible I don't know if we have um, I mean obviously there's no equivalent to that specifically but um I imagine there's some sort of

Ann: I don't know the award schemes export awards,

Devin: but that is something. Oh, it really really is So we fly a flag

Ann: outside the queen's award flag.

You'll see the queen's award Emblem on our product on the website website. Yeah It's on our email signatures because we're entitled to do that and we're [00:28:00] very very proud of that

Devin: and has that actually helped business or Uh, I mean, is it just kind of like did you see a noticeable increase in revenue or anything?

It gave people such confidence just getting the name out I

Ann: think and the recognition. We also got an awful lot of pr out of it Um, but yeah, it was absolutely fantastic. We believe we're the Um first fly tying company ever to have received Such an award, uh, there was um, another fly fishing company got it in the 1980s Um, but when it come that was a long time ago, I guess.

Um, But when it comes to fly time, we're the only with the only ones ever to have received it and king charles is a passionate fly angler

Devin: of course Yeah, of course. Yeah hunting and fly fishing. Yeah

Ann: He was quite interested in what we do.

Devin: That's [00:29:00] wild. Well, I hope um I hope that that's included in the crown I'm just

Ann: finished watching it. I don't recall seeing it, unfortunately. Oh,

Devin: okay. That's too bad. Um, the, let me just look here. Um, oh, and since Yorkshire is such a kind of profound base of fly fishing, uh, how has the local community there been?

And supportive or or uh, otherwise of you guys

Ann: It's we're very we're very

Devin: It's got to be like this homegrown Powerhouse now. I mean there must be a lot of pride in that people

Ann: love the fact that we're a genuine manufacturer We genuinely make our materials in the uk and

we

Ann: You know, we're very proud.

We're adopted Yorkshire people Andy and I, you know, we we moved here Uh in in the very early 90s from down [00:30:00] south but um, yeah, we we'd love being in yorkshire and we love the welcome that we get from local people we We're hearing a lot of great feedback for our materials now And there's a lot of love for the for the company and that's just heartwarming for us

Devin: And how how if you can tell me how many people do you employ?

You In in yorkshire. All right. Okay. I mean i'm sure there's others around the world

Ann: Final count but it's 20 something people work here Yeah, and we are currently taking on extra help at the moment to help help meet the demands here We've we we've just increased, you know, the number of people in the factory and and the number of people in the warehouse Just to help meet the demand because that's great.

Um, we're just so busy the increased demand is Fantastic.

Devin: Well, even in in nano silk alone, uh, just that one skew, you know, uh, like working with [00:31:00] gary to uh Here in the states to get you know more supplies into shops. I know, uh, I mean this stuff is just flying off the shelves so, uh It's a good problem

Ann: To everybody for their support for Semperfly and and for the love that they give you know We see it in our social media.

We we see it when we when we talk to people when we're at shows, etc And we'll never forget, you know, how and why we started in the very humble beginnings. You know, at the end of the day, we're a family run business. It's started by Andy and myself. Our daughter works here. Her husband works here. Our grandson, who is now six years old, wants to work here because he thinks now that he can read and write.

He doesn't need to go to school anymore. He can just come to Semperfly every day. Um, Yeah, he's right. Um, he's enjoying getting into his tying and his fishing He's currently on the [00:32:00] front cover of a magazine for the fly dressers guild He's been featured in a couple of other magazines So watch this space when when louis gets out there as he gets a bit older.

He's gonna take over the world but um Yeah, I love it. So, you know We we are eternally grateful for the support and the love that people give us

Devin: Did I imagine the u. s market is quite large for you guys is is probably a big percentage of that 93 Um, it is a good percentage Just because it's so big. Um, yeah.

Yeah

Ann: It is a great market for us and I have to say we love the positivity that we get from from the states But we do have many other territories that are doing well for us as well Yes, scandinavia is really good europe Things are really growing in many, many other parts of the world. So yeah, the, the spread is, is, is quite mixed actually.

It's not, it's not all [00:33:00] lumpy as you might think.

Devin: That's, I mean, well, two questions here. One is, um, have you guys run into the, the kind of traditional, I want my maid in the USA kind of stuff? Uh, and, and how have you navigated that if you, if you ran

Ann: into That myself personally, but I do think there's a there's a belief out there that we are an american company because of our name

Devin: Yeah, I mean i'm jealous by the way, uh As a as a former u.

s marine with semper fi as the i'll take my hat off to you, sir With the motto Well, I just love the name. It's just the best. Thank you. We're proud of it. Um, And, and secondly, I was talking to Susan Gates from casting for recovery. And I was surprised to learn that, um, [00:34:00] a couple of things, one that they did have a UK program, I think they're trying to start it up again.

Um, but that there are active programs in New Zealand, Australia, you know, and, and they're looking to grow around the world. And I just, it just kind of afterwards blew my mind. Um, It, you know, like the sport seems to be, uh, of course, fly fishing and fishing in general has been around for thousands of years.

Um, but, um, the, the kind of special modern act of fly fishing seems to be growing as well, and I don't know if it's with the pandemic and people just trying to get outside. Um, but I imagine that you guys probably see some. Some of that as well, uh, in your, in your international [00:35:00] expansion.

Ann: Well, my family joke that just as people get aware of dealing with our, our customers, I follow the sun.

You know, I get up with the guys in the far east, uh, as, as their end in the day, we're starting hours and I go to bed with the Canadians and the Americans, you know, so, um, that's right. But, uh, yeah, It's a very interesting world in which to work obviously for us in the uk Fly fish fly fishing has been a part of our world for centuries particularly in this area So it's we're very blessed in around here with some beautiful rivers and countryside where fly fishing is just part of the furniture Very traditional.

Devin: Well, I I can't I can't wait to come over and and go fly fishing. That would be wonderful devon I think that would be wonderful. You've got a lot of great places

Ann: to choose from You

Devin: Perfect. Well, you know, it sounds like the sun never sets. What a great

Ann: phrase. I might borrow that. [00:36:00]

Devin: Yeah. Well, I think you guys came up with it.

As you started out your company, and, and this is, I'm asking because, you know, there's a lot of people out there that are interested in starting independent, like new small businesses. Yeah. How have you grown, uh, as a business leader?

Ann: Do you mean me on a personal level, or how did we build the company?

Devin: Yeah, you, no, I mean you on a personal level.

Um, like how have you grown personally as a business leader from 2006 to now? Oh wow, that's an

Ann: interesting question. How can I put it? I mean a lot of my friends at my age are retiring right now. And we're still really enjoying what we do, and we're still very much at the coalface. We've had so many great [00:37:00] opportunities to learn on this journey.

It hasn't always been easy. There's been a lot of fun. There's been a lot of travel. There's been challenges along the way. And I think it depends how you tackle a problem. And I think Andy and I are both very resourceful people. We're very determined people. And if you come up against any kind of opportunity or bump in the road, if you roll your sleeves up and get stuck in, you can grow through that.

And often that takes you somewhere better in the end. You can't always see it at the time, but afterwards, if you, if you can take a deep breath and get stuck in, when you look back afterwards, you kind of go, right, I can see why that happened now. And you're often a better place afterwards than where you were.

If that makes sense [00:38:00]

Devin: Yeah, sure. I mean I think any sort of uh, adversity faced as As a leader in general probably helps you grow As you as you go through it um before my next question, how has being a mom and grandmother applied to your Your abilities and your skills

Ann: Multitasking

Devin: Changing diapers and singing at the same time. Yeah, sweeping the floor. No, but

Ann: also running the business at the same time. Um, yeah, I think, I think you, you have to be able to jump from one thing to another. Be it, you know, an important phone call or a problem with the plumbing. I don't know what, what, what, whatever it is.

You have to be able to adapt and, and, and adapt. Sometimes [00:39:00] put a face on, you know, when you might not be feeling it. You, you, you, you just have to go for it. So I am the proudest mom and grandmother on the planet. People that know me, they, they sick of me getting out the photos, you know, when, when they see me and telling the stories of our most recent family get together.

Uh, it doesn't matter that our kids, uh, in their late thirties now, but I, you know, I still, I'm still their mom, You know, uh, I'm still there for them. Right.

Devin: I know, like as a dad, I'm a new dad. I mean, I've got a four and a 2-year-old. I know that it, the age tangible change in me, both at home and at work because of my kids, is increased or at least, uh, uh, increased ability to manage, uh, frustration and I think an [00:40:00] increased pool of patience for those around me.

I imagine things like that, you know play a role as well as you're leading a company Particularly one that has to export and maintain relationships around the world where

Ann: we are blessed We have created a wonderful team here and the uh in in the company we've got People that are really knowledgeable and and they're really dedicated and proud of what they do And we've got each other's back, you know, so there's a lot of trust it has to be trust We all mess up sometimes, but you know, as long as you can have good communication about it.

It's so, so important. Andy and I can no longer be involved in every intricate detail of the company. We steer this ship now, [00:41:00] and we do our best. That's all we can do. We can only ever do our best. And I think as long as we, that perspective, you know, Our customers are lovely people too. As long as you're honest and open with everybody and you deliver.

Or if there's a problem, you talk to people, then most things are fine. Most things can be sorted out. But one thing we do pride ourselves on is, you know, looking after our people in house and looking after our customers. We do, you know, the best we can for quality of materials. The stock levels that we have so we make sure we deliver as quickly as we can And then talking to people looking after them.

We're a very positive proactive company. So we'll call shops and say hi How's it going? Is anything you need from us? Would you like some merch? Would you [00:42:00] do you want a social media shout out? Can we come in store and do a demo because we have a wonderful pro team as well. I mustn't forget these guys and They're very good at you know, supporting our dealers as well.

A lot of them do demonstrations in shops All designed to help channel the business through our partners so that everybody wins and if everybody's winning then everybody's happy

Devin: Yeah, and I mean the end user Ultimately is out there catching fish on ties. They fly Ties they tied with your material. I mean there's something special about that too. Yeah, absolutely We talked about, uh, milestones, and obviously the, the Queen's Award is the, the principal one. Can you talk about some challenges as well?

Uh, I don't know if they're just growing pains or, or kind of [00:43:00]

Ann: There's always challenges in business, you know? There's always different things. But I think it's, I mean, we have, we have weekly team

meetings. Is

Devin: there anything unique to this industry that you faced?

Ann: Well, we don't get caught up in the import export problems when Actually when brexit happened that was interesting for a while because When the uk came out of europe, we weren't sure how it was going to work out and we have a you know Good dealer base across across europe and for a while.

There was some confusion in europe and in the uk There was a lot of hype There was a lot of, um, misinformation getting shared. And it was a case of working closely with, um, different organizations [00:44:00] to make sure we put out the best information. Fortunately for us, at SemperFlow, we qualify for the free trade agreement with Europe because we produce our own materials.

So we do have that. in, you know, oh, interesting. In a positive way to help us so that we just put out the right paperwork, um, which we've got every order gets, and yeah, the orders, orders go through nice and smoothly. I think the only other challenge we had was during CID, we didn't know what was gonna happen.

We had no clue. You know, we went through lots of shutdowns here. I think three shutdowns. Lockdown, sorry. Um, yeah, and we just didn't know what was gonna happen in the end the demand for our products Rocketed because I think people were at home. They were tying some of our competitors had to Temporarily close [00:45:00] down or their supply chain collapsed and they couldn't deliver.

So a lot of people converted to Semperfly and Yeah We just rocketed. So, to be honest, what happened was myself, Andy, our daughter and son in law thought, okay, we've got really good start levels, we can all multitask, we'll manage it. We'll send everybody else home, keep everybody safe, and we'll manage it.

We just didn't know what was going to happen. But anyway, the orders kept coming, and coming, and coming. And we did that for five weeks where we worked. I think Andy and I, we started, and bear in mind our grandson wouldn't go to school. So we had to create a rotor for childcare in like three hour blocks between the four of us.

Okay? To keep him entertained. And home educated. Well, he was only little at the time, but he's a very bright kid. He needed the stimulation. So, [00:46:00] so, we, uh, we, Did these blocks of childcare and between the four of us, we carried on the manufacturing, the production, managing the orders, but it got to a point where we just couldn't cope.

We were working from 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM and we did that for five weeks and we

everything.

Devin: And were you guys also doing everything? Were you manufacturing to, we thought we got such good stop levels,

Ann: we could ride it out. But until we knew what was happening But it just went through the roof and in the end we kind of went no, we've got to bring people back You were allowed to work at that time in the uk But what we did was we changed the factory layout completely and we put in various rules regulations about hand sanitizing Masks, etc.

And everybody had to test before they came to work. Um And we had to bring everybody back because the Yeah, just the [00:47:00] exponential growth. Yeah, it was not sustainable. That was a good challenge in the end But it was it was still challenging all the same

Devin: so queen's award in 22 covid hits in 2020 and the Brexit was right about the same time if i'm not mistaken before I can't remember

Ann: the exact year now.

Yeah,

Devin: was that just before covid? Okay, but man a busy three years yeah, I mean That is I mean, it's incredible that you guys were able to take these massive to some degree societal changes and turn them into uh opportunity Uh, you know just really really interesting how that how that worked out and here you are in 2024 [00:48:00] Not not even really fully out of it yet Um, but just, you know, very, very challenging times that you guys were able to, to manufacture opportunities.

New premises since then as well. Really cool.

Ann: Okay. Yeah. Oh, so just. Yeah, it was quite a big move as well. Another thing to add. Because we, we, we rapidly outgrew the premises. So we had to find a new place. We've only been in the new place, the year last September that we moved.

Devin: And just way more square footage way

Ann: more. Yeah, and yeah, we were able to Remodel it so that it was completely fit for purpose, but we had to do that as the same time Wheels of the business going and keeping everybody occupied and happy Uh, that was no mean feat, but we love the new place and it's made us even more [00:49:00] efficient So it was a really good call

Devin: what um kind of moving You To the future now. What? So there, there are still a lot of materials that Semper fly does not have. Um,

And again, without getting into like trade secrets or future plans that you guys don't want to disclose. Um, what, what kind of future goals near and far term are, are you looking at? Obviously

Ann: we want to continue growing as we are. We've grown year on year and that's important to us. We will always bring out innovative materials.

We have a dedicated R& D team and they [00:50:00] have an R& D list. Never stops, you know, they're always working on the new materials and they have a, a, a roadmap for that. I can't share you with you. What, what they are come bad. Yeah. I told you I'd have to kill you. Yeah.

Devin: Oh no, don't, well don't tell me then. Don't do it.

But

Ann: there's, you can hopefully be reassured that there's some cool stuff coming down the road. Um, yeah. Yeah. I am excited. So we've just done a major release. in January. Prior to that, we launched, um, some other materials at the end of last year. You know, when we launched, for example, Eggstatic, we were so thrilled last year to get the, uh, American Fly Fishing Trade Association award for, for that material.

So when we do something, you know, we do it in style. So yeah, there will always be new innovation. But I'm really keen to explore more places, more people, more opportunities, because what, [00:51:00] What matters to Andy and I is what we love is the connecting with the tyers, the people that are using our materials, tying with them, taking fishing, engaging with young people.

That's something that's really, really close to our heart. You know, finding the Louie's of this world, you know, our grandson, you know, finding more of these little, little people that, uh, want to get into tying and encouraging that. You know, all these things are stuff that we really really want to do that.

That's what makes us happy

Devin: I I took my son my four year old son teddy out yesterday for his first fly casting lesson on the water and uh You know, he did really well. It was great and uh there He did yeah, and and they're always going through I call this my meditation station back here, but it's it's really my fly tying [00:52:00] station But you know Teddy and Jackson my two boys are just always Playing with all the materials and stuff.

So I I intend on Having them follow in Louise path For sure Yeah, I think it's great. And it's and there is a I think there is an interesting

dynamic

Devin: in fly fishing because you go to the shows and in my experience there's a lot of older people and then there are They it seems to be a growing number of younger people As well, which, which is, yeah, which is good for the industry.

Um, and you know, one of the reasons why I am doing this podcast is just to expose more people to the benefits of fly fishing and fly tying because, uh, you know, it's just [00:53:00] so, Like I said, this is my meditation station, you know, come in here tie a couple flies they don't have to be perfect, but it's it can be just a break from the uh, Chaos of daily life I

Ann: work with the best fly tires in the world both as clients and pro team and people here under this roof I don't think the fish really mind if your fly Is not perfect.

I think the fish were just is You know Just be happy that everybody's happy, that, you know, if you're getting pleasure out of your fly tying, if it's helping you, or anybody, then that can only be a hugely positive experience.

Devin: Do you tie flies? I don't

Ann: need to, if I'm honest. I've got, I've got Andy's got it [00:54:00] covered for you. I've got an army of a hundred protein members around the world. Okay, I have a collection of flies here and in our uh, you know in our shed where all our flies fishing kit is You know, i've got we've got so many flies We could fish for our entire lives and never need to tie another one And actually if I did just,

Devin: well, it's Louie's going to have a good inheritance.

He's already got his own collection

Ann: because he's getting into tying and we, we have a private group for our pro team and I put some photos in there and said, Oh, look what the little guy's been doing. So many of them said, I love it. I love it. They decided upon themselves to support him. So very regularly he gets deliveries.

He's got one this month from Argentina. Um, but he has a fly collection all across the state, Scandinavia, all of the [00:55:00] European countries. He's got some from Australia. He's got some from Japan. He's got flies all boxed up in, in boxes labeled up for you name it. He can go fishing for the rest of his life already.

He's got his own collection.

Yeah, of

Devin: course. From the best people. So, no, answering

Ann: your question, um, I, I do love to see the tying. I love being a part of it, but I don't need to tie myself at all because You know, I fished myself with people like Hans Van Clink, for example. And if, yeah, if I needed anything, he, he would just, they say, please have this, you know, I, I got, I've got, yeah, yeah.

Here's a clinker, but I have a wall of flies in the office, let alone what we've got at home. So it's amazing. I, I am very blessed. I am, I know how lucky I am.

Devin: And how, uh. Are [00:56:00] you an avid angler as well?

Ann: I can. Unfortunately, life is quite demanding on us sometimes, on our time, because our hours are long in the office, because of the following the sun thing that I mentioned, you know, with our different customers, and I still like to keep in touch with a lot of our customers personally, though we do have a sales team.

That look after the majority, but I tend to personally look after some of our special customers. Um, and when we're going home, they're getting started. So quite often there's things to do on an evening and weekends. We do a lot of shows. We do open days, et cetera. But when we can, we do like to, to, to go.

And for me, if I had a choice, I like the Yorkshire Dales particularly. In fact, I was only there last weekend. Um, And we have some beautiful towns which are little tiny lakes. We have beautiful rivers [00:57:00] Um that that's my thing Whereas, you know, I know some of the people like the still water but I just like being in the you know, the the little streams the Little rivers where it's very very therapeutic

Devin: Yeah, I was gonna say that's what it does for me Uh, and I commonly say that I spend 99 percent of my time Meditating and Zero to one percent of the time catching fish.

Doesn't matter if you catch, does it? Sometimes it's just

Ann: about being there. There is a phrase, we used to have it on a poster that said, A bad day's fishing's better than a good day in the office, something like that, so, yeah, yeah. Oh,

Devin: yes, a hundred percent. Well, you'll, you'll notice on my Instagram that there's, uh, very few pictures of me and a fish, but, uh, I am passionate about the sport nonetheless, and trying to share it with other people.

Oh, that's

Ann: fantastic. [00:58:00]

Devin: Um, are you guys ever going to, uh, any interest in getting into hooks or, uh, we are firm believers

Ann: in sticking with what we do best. Um, we know what we're doing on the material side of things. We never say never, um, but, uh,

Devin: yeah,

Ann: materials is, materials is what we do

Devin: well, and. It was a pleasure talking to you. I know that you're busy, and as we said, the sun never sets on Semper Fly. But, uh, here on Mending on the Fly, we end with the whip finish, and, uh, so if you have any parting thoughts or, uh, ways back home, that people can get a hold of you, or any, any, uh, notes for the audience.

Oh, thank you so much, Dylan. The floor is yours.

Ann: I really enjoyed talking with you. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you very much for the invite again. Um, if people want to get in touch with us, we welcome it [00:59:00] wholeheartedly. Social media is really important to us. Um, so you, you can find us either with at Semperfly, or at Semperfly underscore flytying.

And uh, please give us a follow or if you're using our materials tag us as you go So so we can share in in your love of of tying we would absolutely love that Um, but that if anybody's stuck with how to Find our materials on our website You can drill into any of the products and there's a where can I buy this button?

And we'll direct you to your nearest dealer and that's at semperfly. net So, if anybody has any questions or needs any help with product, then please use the contact us or the iwanttobuy. com On SemperFly. net.

Devin: And I know on SemperFly. net there is a [01:00:00] catalog as well, a pretty comprehensive catalog. Is that available to anyone or just businesses?

So,

Ann: the website shows the full product range that's available. But if anybody wants to buy the materials, they would buy it via our dealer network around

the world. We

Ann: do have, I'm not sure if you're referring to our flipbook catalog.

Devin: I'm actually looking yes the flip book because I have found that Yeah, so it's 324

Ann: pages Catalog now it hasn't got all the latest releases in it But it has got a huge array of product and flies and fantastic advice in there.

Um, and it's a great resource. I think there's something like 400 fly patterns in there. So anybody can read that online and enjoy it. [01:01:00]

Devin: Yeah, it's fantastic. For anyone that hasn't seen it, if you're interested in getting into fly tying or Or interested in Semper flies materials that I mean, they have the patterns and then the materials listed underneath them, uh, to include hook size and, uh, you know, whether it's a Semper fly material or, or something else, uh, it's listed in there.

So. Really really a great resource for fly tires out there Um, the last thing i'll say is i'm going to give a shout out to my local sumper fly dealers The one in maryland is precision great partner fly and tackle. Uh, they have a place in yeah in pennsylvania and maryland And then maggie valley fly shop down in north carolina, right partners just both Yeah, fabulous shops, really awesome people, uh, which is the important part.

Just great human beings, uh, in both of those. [01:02:00] So yeah, I'm, I'm glad they're, they're partnered with you and, um, I look forward to visiting both their shops soon and picking up some more Semper Fly.

I will for sure. Um, and thank you so much for joining me today. Congratulations on all the success, uh, and primarily, uh, you know, for being a great mom, great grandmother, getting your kids and grandkids out on the water. Uh, it's, uh, it's just great. It's just great to see a family business doing so well. Um, and, and, uh, I appreciate you guys.

You know, what you do is great. And your, your ethos is. Phenomenal and um, just really appreciate you

Ann: devon your your your words mean the world. So thank you so much I'm delighted to be a part of your program of podcast And for all the love and support for semper fly Um, you know just a [01:03:00] huge thank you from me from andy and the team here.

We're just eternally grateful

Devin: Of course, well, we will, we will talk soon and I hope to see you door will

Ann: always be open, Devon. We'd love to see you. All right, sounds good. Take care. so much.

Devin: Thanks so much.