Torq Surfboards Mundaka Dealer Meeting
Torq Surfboards is the brain child of shaper, ex windsurfing pro and industry vet, Sebastian Wenzel. In 2010, Wenzel, who has been shaping for Fanatic since 1995, started the International Surf Alliance (ISA), whereby seven distributors from across the globe came together to make an alliance, meaning they could provide high quality products for a good price thanks to shared synergies.
Now, six years on and Torq selected a handful of retailers from across France and Spain to attend their first ever dealer meeting in Mundaka, Basque Country. SOURCE Editor Harry Mitchell Thompson was at the dealer meeting in Mundaka, and has a gallery full of images from the event in our One Eyed Monster gallery.
At the meeting, General Manager Wenzel kicked things off with an overview of the brand; explaining how they are fighting to be the ‘best in class’, and aren’t looking to compete with premium PU surfboard manufacturers such as JS.
The durability of Torq’s epoxy surfboards means they are perfect for beginners, but the brand are upping their game and are looking to promote the brand as a go-to for the every day surfer. Removing their entry level shackles, Torq unveiled an exciting collaboration with Channel Islands surfboards, which will see both companies grab a slice of a new segment of the market – Torq will gain credibility through the collab, while Channel Islands get to sell their brand at a cheaper price point to the ‘every day’ surfer.
Torq’s surfboards are manufactured in Taiwan and Sebastian wanted to inform retailers that the company is not just a beginner board company, and that with the introduction of their Torq-Tech line, they have even started a professional athlete roster with the addition of Portuguese pro Francisco Alves.
Torq are manufactured at the Playmaker factory in Taiwan, which is where snowboard brands Rome, Nitro and HEAD manufacture their snowboards. The factory uses computer files to make exact aluminium moulds, which then produce the surfboards – meaning no room for interpretation and zero waste, with the slogan: “High tech, low waste.”
Sebastian showed how the Torq website has lots of features which are easily embeddable for all dealers, including a detailed 3D view of all surfboards. Torq’s biggest market is the U.S., where they took the market share within just two years.
Sebastian has been shaping windsurfboards since 1981 and was a pro windsurfer from 1989-2000. He has shaped/designed for Fanatic since 1995 and still shapes for the company today. He was the NSP distributor from 2002-2014 and even served as NSP Brand manager from 2007-2009.
