Paddling with Passion: How Bread & Butter Is Serving Up Innovation in Pickleball
In the laid back oceanside town of Vero Beach, Fla., Doug Sapusek is building something special in the world of pickleball. Sapusek started Bread & Butter Pickleball just over a year ago, driven by his lifelong passion for aesthetics, branding and creating quality consumer goods.
What began as an idea from friend and designer Richard Blanco has quickly morphed into one of the buzziest and fastest-growing paddle brands on the market. The company’s early sandwich paddles, the Spear and Drip, featured lively graphics like flamingos and skeletons, immediately standing out from the crowd.
But Bread & Butter is more than just flashy logos and savvy social media marketing. Sapusek and his growing team have dug deep into advanced materials and technology to make paddles that can compete with the top names in the sport. Their new performance paddle, the Filth, became an instant hit with competitive players.
Now with his kids Aurora and Devon on board, Sapusek has even bigger plans in store for Bread & Butter. On the Simply Pickleball Podcast with Crystal Brown, the 46-year old former Marine provided an exclusive look inside his creative process for building the next big brand in the world’s fastest growing sport.
Chasing Cool from the Start
Sapusek developed an affinity for aesthetics and design from a young age while growing up immersed in the laidback Florida lifestyle.
“I was like a Z Cavaricci kid slash skateboarder,” he said, referencing the popular fashion brand when MC Hammer pants were all the rage in the early 90s.
Beyond hammer pants and half pipes, Sapusek was drawn to various action sports and their associated cultures. “I’ve always been into the surfing, skating thing,” he said. “Florida lifestyle - fishing, surfing, skating, all the stuff I keep mentioning.”
A lifelong enthusiast of compelling branding across industries, Sapusek is known to buy products purely to examine the unboxing experience and packaging.
“I like nice stuff,” he said bluntly.
So when Blanco approached him in early 2022 with the idea for a pickleball company exuding youthful, quirky energy, Sapusek was immediately intrigued. Blanco already had preliminary branding and paddle designs in place. The name Bread & Butter was there from the start, encapsulating their goal to provide pickleball essentials with a fresh flair.
Sapusek realized that while there were many paddles on the market, none had truly captured the intersection of performance and personality quite like what Blanco envisioned. Within weeks, they had polished designs ready for launch, establishing Bread & Butter as a brand that would connect directly with recreational players through shared vibes.
The Scramble to Create Quality Paddles
Despite his passion for pickleball’s potential, Sapusek’s experience in paddle construction was initially limited.
“I didn’t know anything about pickleball paddles,” he admitted.
But what Sapusek lacked in manufacturing expertise, he made up for with sheer determination. He went on a quintessentially entrepreneurial journey of learning on the fly.
“I’ve got over 5,500 hours of reading, watching, stalking,” Sapusek said of his research process. He dug into every paddle review and scrap of industry knowledge he could find online. He befriended experts across the sport to better understand materials and technology.
The result of this relentless scramble was the foundational sandwich paddle construction used in the Spear and Drip. They featured recognizable ingredients like polypropylene cores, fiberglass faces, edge guards and UV printed graphics.
The initial sales numbers looked promising, with growth steadily climbing 150-200% month over month. But user feedback from core players made Sapusek realize Bread & Butter needed to quickly evolve. They needed a true performance paddle that could compete with the top brands.
“I realized that if we wanted to be a real paddle company, we had to do something more,” he said.
Enter the Filth - Bread & Butter’s first “hero” paddle. Sapusek incorporated more advanced production methods like thermal pressing to make the Filth a well-rounded option. It provided the control, power and spin that competitive players expect without sacrificing personality.
The Filth received USA Pickleball approval right as Sapusek was demoing it at a tournament. He became emotional hearing players immediately praise aspects like its spin potential.
“I teared up. This is it - we’re about to do this,” he recalled.
The Filth fulfilled Sapusek’s vision to deliver substance without losing style. Bread & Butter had arrived.
Merging Technical and Stylish Worlds
A common thread with Sapusek was the push and pull between technical specifications and aesthetic appeal. He was candid in sharing his evolution on that front.
“Did we see a stylish spin early on that we latched onto? No,” he admitted. “There were times where I second guessed if we missed the mark.”
The turning point came when Sapusek embraced Bread & Butter’s unique position in the market. They didn’t have to choose between satisfying gear nerds obsessed with granular differences or recreational players looking for a little flamboyance.
In fact, blending those worlds is integral to growing the sport overall.
“We’re not going to be this monochromatic, super tough looking company,” he said. “We can make really good paddles that people also talk about and love.”
The newly launched Loco paddle epitomizes that ethos. Visually, it has a somewhat toned down aesthetic compared to earlier models. But peek underneath the surface and you’ll find thoughtful engineering details like a thermally welded unibody edge guard. Sapusek is also releasing limited edition Locos with bolder colors and graphics.
There is careful calculation happening at Bread & Butter to give diverse player psycho-graphics the best of both worlds. Yes, materials matter to perform at higher competitive levels. But infusing personality and emotion into gear has a real impact as well.
“For me to get out of bed, it’s got to be fun,” Sapusek emphasized.
Fostering Community Vibes
Having fun goes beyond just Sapusek’s own motivation - he believes it’s essential for pickleball’s health at all levels. He expressed concern that some elite players are unwelcoming to newbies looking to learn the game.
“When a beginner shows up, what does everyone do? They walk away,” he said of poor etiquette he’s observed in some places. “We need those cool designs to bring new players into the game.”
Accessibility has been central to pickleball’s explosive rise. According to Sapusek, established players have a responsibility to nurture that or risk the sport plateauing.
“Take 15 minutes and play with them. Show them this is the ball you should use,” he said. “Make them feel welcome.”
Sapusek practices what he preaches by mentoring developing players when he’s on the court. He also invites newcomers into the Bread & Butter community on social media, leaning into his persona as the approachable founder.
“For growth of the industry and resources to continue, new people have to keep showing up,” he reiterated.
Bringing the Kids Into the Family Biz
After gaining full ownership of Bread & Butter earlier this year, Sapusek decided to make it a family affair. His daughter Aurora, 22, came on board to handle marketing. Son Devon, 21, took a hiatus from pursuing his own entrepreneurial ventures to learn the ropes from his dad.
Sapusek sees immense value in passing down tangible business skills to the next generation. He wants his kids avoiding stagnation and forging their own paths, just as he did.
“They were both in positions where they were semi-lost,” Sapusek said. “I realized I could teach them things so they don’t have to work at a restaurant anymore.”
Rather than pay Devon an early salary, Sapusek let him earn sweat equity until the company financially stabilized. He sees it as an investment in Devon’s future independence and confidence.
“Once this gets going, I will make it up to you,” he told Devon.
Sapusek is now focused on mentoring his children to lead Bread & Butter down the road. But in the meantime, he still has plenty of creative ideas of his own percolating.
Pushing Paddle Potential
The word “relentless” came up repeatedly in discussing Sapusek’s approach to designing products. He despises putting out anything poorly executed or short-lived. Every new item needs to feel special.
“I want to make stuff that people love, that they want to wear and use, that they have no buyers remorse about,” he said.
Bread & Butter recently hired an industry veteran to design a signature pickleball bag that Sapusek envisions becoming a staple. He specifies details like weatherproof zippers and cushioned shoulder straps with the care of someone hand-crafting a luxury automobile.
There are also two new paddles in the pipeline for release in 2023 and 2024. Sapusek is exploring fresh materials and technology to continue advancing play.
Details were sparse, but expect more innovation that balances quality engineering with Bread & Butter’s signature cheekiness and flair.
The Bearded Boy Wonder
With his backwards hat, sculpted beard and energetic mannerisms, Sapusek feels like a pickleball Peter Pan - youthful exuberance meeting business savvy. He frequently describes his shipmates on this adventure as family, inviting customers and fans into the Bread & Butter community.
Sapusek has a straightforward leadership approach. He listen to experts and gathers input, but isn’t afraid to trust his gut and make quick decisions. At larger companies he’s led, he found himself dreading bureaucratic meetings and stagnation. He aims to avoid that trap this time.
“As we scale, my job is bringing on good staff and making excellent hiring decisions,” Sapusek said.
He also acknowledges that his passion for diving headfirst into new ventures causes work-life imbalance. Ideally building Bread & Butter to a point where he can hand off some responsibility would allow him to travel more with his wife Julie and kids.
But make no mistake - Sapusek is "all-in on this thing" for as long as it takes to transform Bread & Butter into a pillar brand in the sport. With his track record, I wouldn’t bet against the bearded boy wonder.
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