When Chris and Krista moved to Lopez Island 13 years ago, their motivation was food. They wanted to have a closer relationship with the food they ate and be more involved in growing, hunting, fishing, and cooking. They quickly realized that cheap tools from Amazon did not fit into this lifestyle and decided to start making their own. Thus began their journey of creating Skarpari, a company providing handmade sustainable living tools.

According to Chris and Krista, sustainable living starts with a good relationship with food. They believe that by reconnecting with food traditions and recipes, we can create a sustainable future for the next generation. Skarpari's knives and other tools are handmade with precision and care, using high-quality materials and built to last for generations.

The inspiration for Skarpari came from Chris and Krista's own experiences. When they made their first knife to butcher the first livestock they raised, they realized the value of a good tool. As their friends and family became aware of the beautiful handmade tools they were creating, they started to receive requests for bartering and commissioning knives. This led to the realization that there was a need for these tools in their community.

Skarpari's mission is to provide the right tools to help you build a bridge to a sustainable future. By offering handmade tools for farming, hunting, fishing, and cooking, they encourage people to reconnect with their food and take a more active role in its production. They believe this connection is vital to creating a sustainable future for our planet.

Skarpari’s knife shop creates custom handmade knives that focus on reducing waste and environmental impact. The shop uses a sustainable knife-making approach by using reclaimed materials, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing waste. Skarpari uses sustainable materials for knife handles, such as reclaimed wood, recycled plastics, and repurposed metals, to create a zero-waste knife shop. Reclaimed materials not only reduce waste but also add character to the knife. They practice energy conservation by using energy-efficient tools and machinery to minimize energy consumption. For example, they use natural light and ventilation instead of electric lighting and air conditioning. They also reduce waste by using recycled packaging, composting scraps, and reusing materials. Leftover materials can create smaller products like their famous mini knives, jewelry and keychains. Skarpari also encourages customers to bring in old knives to be repaired, sharpened or rehandled so they can be reused. They offer knife repairs and sharpening services to extend the life of the knives. This encourages customers to maintain their knives rather than discard them when they become dull.

By producing knives, other arts and crafts, and food products, the Skarpari knife shop reduces waste and encourages sustainable living. Skarpari also provides educational opportunities for our community and visitors to explore the importance of reducing waste and living sustainably. The workshops explore our relationship with food and food preparation and how it fits into our natural environment. Workshops cover food preservation, harvesting, foraging, and using handmade tools. By sharing their knowledge and skills, Chris and Krista hope to inspire others to participate actively in sustainable living.

Skarpari's commitment to sustainable living is evident in everything they do. From the high-quality materials they use to the care and precision they put into each tool, they are dedicated to creating products that will last a lifetime and beyond. By providing the right tools for sustainable living, they hope to help us build a brighter future for ourselves and our planet.