Twenty years ago, life was pretty simple in Chico, California. You could tube down the river quenching your thirst with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Everyone knew everyone, and life just seemed full of possibilities. That's what I thought after running through the ranks of the Business and Marketing program at CSU, Chico. Chico State has always fostered a prolific social scene. That social scene creates an incubator for free thinking where ideas are born, and successful businesses are launched. Don't forget some of the greats: Sierra Nevada Brewery, Woof and Poof, the California Cooler, Overland Equipment, and Mountain Goat Mountain Bikes. More recently the Chico Bag, Kleen Kanteen, and of course our own Beica Clothing!

Some early rumblings of Beica started with an entrepreneurial class in 1989, taught by Marcia Briggs (founder of Caribou Backpacks)- My class project was an "in-class" company based on apparel, the environment, and getting outside. - It was called Walkabout Clothing Company. I came up with mostly screen print designs based on the environment and the anniversary of Earth Day. I sold shirts on campus and hawked them on the street, and in just two days sold all my inventory. I think I made $2,200! I was rich!

About ten years later in the late 90's the Beica brand was born. Taking the "Walkabout" idea a bit further, we wanted a simple name to represent a lifestyle and mantra for living. Still close to the outdoors (maybe more than ever), and a desire to get outside and explore, the "Because I Can" attitude was living strong. The name, beica, was very intentional. It's an acronym, of sorts, for "Because I Can."

Today, we're in the midst of environmental and economic change and Beica still works! The underlying theme and mantra for Beica is about choices. I run, "because I can", I get outside and do, "Because I Can", I choose to get involved, "Because I Can". Choosing sustainable products and buying from companies that give back is the future of how things will be done. Choose to get involved with a company that's trying to doing the right thing, one Beica Fan at a time.

Thank you for coming to our site,

Craig Almaguer
Chief Trailblazer