Oh, how we've grown!

Learn about the history of Omerica Organic

We work tirelessly to maintain the principals of our foundation; custom-making each pair to order to the highest standards possible, implementing eco-conscious measures often, offering unique and innovative styles, and providing excellent customer service every time.

2017

Today

We made it! We are going to keep moving forward in a conscious way and hope to continue bringing you the best wood adornment money can buy. Omerica Love!

2015/16

Omerica MFG

We've used our equipment and experience to branch out into other areas. Omerica MFG was born. Omerica MFG offers ideation, CAD work, prototyping, 3d printing, mold making, and jewelry manufacturing.

Innovation

We welcomed the Lux Line to the site as well as our Innovation category. We've added new shapes, new inlaying new materials, and it won't stop there. We are excited to add to the Lux Line as the years go on. Stay tuned for more.

2014

The Maker System

Omerica founder & CEO Ryan Lorenz created a software based off of our experience and needs in the shop. The Maker System is an all in one software platform for manufacturers to manage the company's website, sales, clients, staff, production, and inventions. This transformed the way we manage orders, therefore making our process much more efficient, without compromising the high quality of our products! The Maker System is now available, customizable for your specific needs.

Going Paperless

We aim to reduce, reuse, and recycle. We purchased secondhand iPads to go paperless in the workshop! This technology has helped with managing orders and shop communication. In conjunction with the new Maker System, this has significantly reduced our need for paper in the shop.

2013

Breaking Through

This year was all about solving years old design and material quandaries, to open up new possibilities. We finally pin-pointed a wood type suitable for making plugs from 1-3/4" all the way up to 2-3/4". Oval and Teardrop shaped plugs became a reality for the Omerica workshop, through lots of hard work, design, re-design, and prototyping.

Adornment Expansion

2013 was a year for revamping our jewelry lines. We designed new styles, and worked to improve old ones with new capabilities and processes. Two finger rings, gorgeous new pendants, innovative earring styles, even plugs with cast bronze inserts, all took shape throughout the year.

2012

New Site

By the end of the year, a whole new site was on its way to debut all of the new products. We had built a social network and were able to communicate with our customers like never before. Without you guys, we would not be where we are today, so thank you!

Expanding The Mind

We wanted to give our customers more, and with this new casting equipment we felt really excited about not only expanding our plug horizons, but also being able to offer a new line of jewelry.

2011

New Development

The plug line was growing exponentially and the design team was having a blast coming up with innovative new styles. With the creative juices flowing, we thought about all of the amazing things we could offer if we expanded our horizons and added some metal elements into the mix. We bought new equipment that brought us in to the casting arena.

Back In It

We continued to improve the shop and build the plug line. After more than a year break we re-entered the wholesale arena and made it a goal to never leave it again. Our team was honed and it was time to push hard to make Omerica Organic the best wood plug company it could possibly be.

2010

3360 Walnut

Now we were more efficient than ever and producing at a level of quality that we had never achieved before. We were getting comfortable at 3360 Walnut, people were happy, and the Omerica team continued to expand. There was a lot of focus on the website at this time, and we worked on making it the best it could be. Demand was overwhelming, there was a steep learning curve, and regrettably we just had to pause our wholesale program for more than a year to keep quality first.

Moving Time

At this point it was time to invest in some awesome new equipment that could completely expand our capabilities. There was just one major problem standing in the way. The shop could simply not support the weight of the new machinery on a structural level. I made the difficult decision to move once again and we were faced with a lot of work. We found the perfect home a few blocks away and started to settle in to this new 6000 square foot space.

2009

3060 Larimer

With 1800 square feet to now work with, we set up the most efficient shop possible. Our staff had grown to around 8 people and we really started to innovate our inlay techniques and move our styles forward in a big way. We experimented with other types of jewelry and had a blast throughout this process.

Across The Street

Across the street a beautiful historical building was being converted and I made the step to buy our first shop. The Omerica team stood by while a crane lifted our heavy lathes out of our existing shop's windows and lower them into place across the street. 3060 Larimer Street would be our shop for the next year.

2008

Full Blown

As growth continued, it was time to move out and transition the loft into a full blown shop. New branding was in the works and with it a new look for the site. As we reached out to social networks we slowly built our brand presence.

Growth

At this point the Omerica family began to grow. New people were brought on board, the atmosphere was amazing, growth was good, and the quality of the product just kept on getting better. There were large orders to deal with, website upgrades to make, and new styles to innovate.

2007

Great friends

My boys Justin, Alan, Cody, and CJ grew into new positions and even better friends. They are the Original Crew for sure. To conserve funds we set up little bedrooms in the shop. With zero capital in the bank, every cost saving initiative was put in to place. Around this time we headed to Vegas to show off our goods at our first APP trade show. We started getting wholesale clients and attempted to meet the needs of our growing client base.

Outgrowing

Just as I was outgrowing the space and sleeping in sawdust, the perfect opportunity came my way to rent out a larger loft upstairs in the same old industrial building. We set up our shop and acquired some new equipment to better serve our growth.

2006

Help

I took on an apprentice during this time and started training him in the skills I had acquired thus far. Omerica's product is only as good as its people, so building a quality team has always been a huge priority. I was constantly striving for more efficient ways to produce quickly while still achieving the highest level of quality.

Denver

Growing up in the Denver area my whole life I knew I wanted to get back to the City. I rented a loft in a growing industrial neighborhood called Rino to live and work. It was the perfect place for late nights and creativity. I used every inch of the 800 square feet to sleep, eat, make the products, answer the phone, ship, service, and grow the company.

2005

The Road

It felt like a great time to hit the road and start interacting with customers face to face. I bought a van and loaded it with a generator and what little equipment I had. I headed West and met amazing people on the road. I would take orders, setup wherever I could, and then meet back up with these new customers a couple hours later after I made their custom plugs outside the van. I drove around to local piercing shops and tried to establish wholesale accounts. A few shops liked what they saw so I started making my way back to Colorado to fill orders and keep growing.

The Barn

From the Barn on the orchard the business grew. Day by day I honed in our style and quality and continued to evolve. We experimented with new styles and techniques. It was an exciting time for Omerica. Each day brought new failures and successes, and every day we moved forward with different ideas.

2004

Ebay

I was making plugs that fit, Sales on Ebay were looking good, and I was having fun… so a website felt like the next logical step. Building Omerica's first website allowed us to create an identity and a foundation to build on for the future. I wanted to create a brand that had integrity and cared about all of the little details.

Once Upon a Time…

I had a little idea. Plugs that fit! Custom made to order! Maybe I could find a material, WOOD, and make them locally. Everyone's ears are different, perhaps plugs should be made in varying wearing lengths…why not? So I lined my apartment floor with a drop cloth, threw a lathe in my closet, and sold a couple pairs on Ebay. With my first sale of a few dollars I knew I had something good. I moved this little enterprise from the closet to a barn on my family's peach farm in Palisades, Colorado and Omerica was born.