Our Core Values
Take Personal Ownership
We take great pride and personal ownership of not just every product we make, but in HOW they are made. We want every customer to love their products as much as we do, that's why we never take shortcuts, honor our commitments, admit when we can do things better and correct it.
Leave No One Behind
There is more to success than just the bottom line. For the 50+ families we work with, we will never compromise their well being for a profit margin and ensure each one receives fair pay with benefits, training opportunities, and safe working conditions. Their success is our success and your success.
Be Good Stewards
This beautiful earth God created is not our own and we have the ultimate responsibility of making sure it stays beautiful for future generations. We go to great lengths – and pay higher production costs – to ensure our practices and suppliers meet strict environmental standards, processes and certifications.
Our Commitments
We started John Candor to make the best of the talents God gave us, have the freedom to pursue our passions and provide good paying jobs for our local communities so they can do the same.
This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor... Eccles. 5:18
We pay higher prices to get better handpicked raw materials. All raw materials are sourced locally (US or Colombia).
Our products will last you for years to come and include our 3 year warranty.
For men just like us who want to look good, wear comfortable shoes and stand tall without breaking the bank.
Our certified leather tanners incorporate on-site water treatment plants that recycle, purify, and reuse the water needed for the curing and tanning process. Any unused water is returned to its original source in an even cleaner state.
our Story
How We Got Here
John Candor was cofounded by two friends. One is an Army Veteran who lives in Florida with his family, and the other is a former DFW Police Officer in Dallas, Texas with his family. He grew up in Colombia with his Christian missionary family that's been serving there since WW2 for 3 generations. We're simple regular guys who want to share God's love, pursue our passion in leather goods, and help our communities while enjoying our freedoms, new adventures, and spending time with family and friends.
Our mission is to make the best of our God given talents & help create good paying jobs for our local communities. We aim for timeless professional designs, functional & durable products. Quality over quantity. At the end of the day, we strive to make the finest leather goods & have customers for life. We don’t make decisions based on what is easiest or cut corners. We make decisions based on the old fashion belief of just doing the right thing & honoring our word.
At John Candor our products are either designed by us and made in Colombia, or we buy wholesale from artisans in the US that want to focus on handcrafting amazing products. See our FAQ for a list of our partners.
The small family businesses we partner with have extensive experience and employ some of the best artisans in their local communities.
How did we find our shoe makers? On one trip to Colombia we discovered 3rd generation custom shoe makers using time-honored craftsmanship and rich materials to create stylish, comfortable and durable shoes. What did we do? We partnered with them!
But we also discovered real-life challenges small family businesses in Colombia face following decades of civil war, narcoterrorism and COVID-1 pandemic. We are fully committed to supporting Colombia's economy with our business and other post conflict community-building initiatives while we build a brand that we and you can be proud to be a part of.
We picked the name Candor for our brand because our goal is to be a sincere and ethical business. Unfortunately, that domain name was already taken, so we put my name in front of it and got – John Candor
We love what we do and hope you become customers for life. Don't forget to spread the word. :)
Best,
John
candor /n.
straightforward honesty or
sincere expresssion
Helping You Put Your Best Foot Forward
John Candor is a straightforward, honest, and sincere expression in how we run our business and bring our products to life.