Meet Max Chapman | SurfDurt Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Max Chapman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Max, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My family is from Hawaii, the first place to ban toxins in chemical sunscreen that were polluting coral reefs and killing ocean ecosystems. My dad is also a chemist, so we started to make our formula together, as a fun project to do in the kitchen while he taught me how to surf. The original idea was born from our desire to not be part of the problem when we were in the ocean ourselves. Over time, however, taking our family creation to market also gave me a sense of purpose that I was honestly truly missing before this business. Now, it is my hope to be able to continue to grow as a company, as a team, and as social impact-driven people and environmentalists.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our entire product relies on people’s ability to care about the planet, future generations and each other so a strong sense of community is an absolutely necessary prerequisite in the SurfDurt business model. Every unit of sunscreen sold gives back a portion of proceeds to a well vetted charity that either uplifts diversity or combats climate change. We are also very proud of programs we work with in our supply chain, like our sustainable beeswax program. Our sustainable beeswax program allows us to source beeswax made by local farmers in five West African countries who regenerate their beehives rather than overharvesting them (which is what almost all American manufactureres are forced to do). This truly special program helps both the bee pollution and the local farmers who receive a 30-40% income increase on average. We’re consistently using the highest quality ingredients we can reasonably source to make sure every step in our process as environmentally and ethically conscious as our final product and we work really hard to nurture a community of customers that can feel as proud about purchasing that, as we do about creating it and sharing it with them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First off Sunset Cliffs. Wether I’m going there for a surf or just to drink my coffee and watch the waves, it’s a must visit. Second, OB Donuts, It’s a cute little whole in the wall that sells, you guessed it– Donuts!!! If the time allows, we’ll head over to Baja and visit a few wineries. Vena Cava is my favorite, it’s made out of recycled boats, it’s so awesome! I love getting sushi at Gami sushi in north county – super unassuming spot with the bombest sashimi and sake selection. For live music I love Roxy encinitas and Winstons OB! Two very different places but hey theres music!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to Nikki Remmel, her and I started SurfDurt together. We had very humble beginnings, traveling up and down the coast of California, selling SurfDurt to surf shops out of my van.

Website: https://www.surfdurt.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surfdurt/?hl=en

Other: TikTok! https://www.tiktok.com/@surfdurt