The History of Crumpler Bags

Crumpler is a bag company based in Melbourne, Australia, with outlets all over the world. They began as a small messenger bag manufacturer, but have since expanded their range to include college satchels, camera bags and laptop bags.

Stuart Crumpler

Stuart Crumpler began making his own bike messenger bags in the early 1990s, while working as a bike courier himself. The bags became popular within the company he worked for, Minuteman Messengers, and soon there was widespread commercial demand.

New Partnership

In 1995, Will Miller and David Roper formed a partnership with Stuart Crumpler to form the Crumpler company. The colorful canvas bags continued to be made locally in Australia.

International Expansion

As the company continued to expand, German investors Siegfried Elgert and Jörg Bodenschatz were brought on board to facilitate growth into international markets in Europe and the United States. All five owners hold equal share in the company.

"Beer for Bags"

Crumpler are well known for their "Beer for Bags" promotion, where customers can exchange beer for products, gaining discounts in the trade. The promotion generally runs for one week once a year and has proved a marketing success for the company internationally.

Crumpler Today

Crumpler continues to operate in Europe, South Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas in 2009. Due to their popularity, a number of competitors such as Bag-Man have copied the designs.

References

• CNNMoney.com: Trade your beer, get cool stuff
• Crumpler Bags
• Mess Media: Crumpler Bags Get No Respect from Messengers