Coming in From The Cold [definition]: a spy retiring from active duty and returning to a more normal, less dangerous life, often with the implication of emotional relief and reintegration into society.
Source: John le Carré
In case you missed our big announcement, we’re closing our doors for good. If you’ve been following our journey since the beginning, you’ve likely heard about, and maybe even believed our backgrounds…
But we’ve been lying to you.
And legally, we had to.
If you’ve been part of our story for the past five years, buying our shakers, reading our newsletters, maybe even meeting us at a pop-up or messaging us on Instagram, then it’s only fair that you get the full truth.
Rebecca and I worked for the CIA up until just over a year ago where we served as Case Officers.
About 8 months ago, we received official approval from CIA’s Prepublication Review Board to come clean. For those unfamiliar with the PRB, it’s the CIA’s internal review team who reviews and clears information to ensure trade secrets aren’t being revealed.
So why the big reveal now?
C&D initially started as a fun enterprise – a way for us to explore some entrepreneurial goals and to create something in America sourced entirely from domestic material.
Both Rebecca and Kris had family members who lost their jobs when manufacturing moved overseas in the 80s and 90s, and they both have a strong passion for American-made products.
Why Barware?
During our time abroad, we saw firsthand how America was struggling to compete economically in manufacturing and production.
We sought to create something that was not only high quality, but something that directly impacted American manufacturing and created jobs by partnering with a small Midwestern machine shop—one with history, soul, and a stubborn pride in American manufacturing. Together, we made the first U.S.-made cocktail shaker in over 50 years . Stainless steel, hand-made, engraved, and built to outlive us all.
Now, first and foremost, if you’ve ever purchased anything from us, we assure you, you were in fact paying and supporting C&D Tools, a private company.
But, lucky for us, the CIA has been incredibly supportive since day one, even allowing us to speak to the New York Times in 2021 and welcoming us to sell our wares in the CIA gift shop.
That’s right, there’s a CIA gift shop in headquarters and they carry our schwag.
What does C&D Stand for?
C&D’s early beginnings and roots are in the fields of foreign lands, cocktail parties, formal receptions, and even drinking with adversaries where the only thing we had in common -- besides mutual disdain for the other party -- was enjoying a stiff drink to make the interaction more palatable.
If you have an astute eye or love WWII history, you probably realized that, much like our logo, we’ve been hiding in plain sight: C&D – the company initials slightly conceal the Fairbairn Sykes dagger in our logo – a subtle nod to unorthodox diplomacy.
Naturally people assume the “C” stands for ‘Chris’, the name of the co-founder (which is actually spelled with a 'K'). As for the “D”, well of course, that must be Rebecca’s middle or last initial. For the past five years, we’ve been happy to dodge the occasional question asking us the meaning of “C&D”.
Up until now, only our closest friends and colleagues knew that it actually stands for Cloak & Dagger.
The “Tools” part of our name is a reminder to us and our supporters that we weren’t producing items for a shiny bar display or to collect dust.
We created tools to put through the paces.
That you could depend on.
Build a story with.
And most importantly...pass on to the next generation.
Our manufacturer is slimming down operations, and Kris and Rebecca are moving onto the next chapter - just like that, we’ve reached the end of this mission.
But this isn’t a sad ending, it's a celebration. Of five years. Of 2,500 shakers sold. Of shaking damn good drinks. Of helping people create good memories.
Because real innovation isn’t about making everyone love you. It’s about making something you’re proud to stand behind, even when it’s hard.
A day in the life of a CIA officer:
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