Axis of Innovation

Three new releases showcase the innovative features and fashionable designs that unite the Yafa Brands family.

- BY NICKY PESSAROFF

From top-the new Monteverde USA Axis pocket fountain pen in anodized orange, Diplomat Viper fountain pen in green, and Delta Reservoir Ink Tank System fountain pen.

California’s Yafa Brands, Inc., is complex in its corporate form—at once a distributor of fine writing instruments brands and a manufacturer of pens and inks. Yafa owns and manufactures Conklin, Monteverde USA, and Private Reserve Inks. The company began, however, as a distributor, and it still is, as the U.S. representative for Italy's Pineider, Stipula, Nettuno 1911, Marlen, Maiora, and Delta, along with Germany's Schmidt and Diplomat.

Crafting a cohesive message around such varied brands might be a challenge, but Yafa makes it look easy. The narrative message for each of the brands is simple: refined, high performance, innovative mechanics and fashionable looks at the fairest price points possible. Three new releases from different members of the Yafa Brands family perfectly encapsulate those dynamics, so let's take a closer look at each one, and in so doing, learn what makes the Yafa Brands family of companies such a cohesive unit.

The Foundational Axis

The best place to start is with Yafa’s own Monteverde USA, which encompasses everything from EDC fountain pens to mid-priced limited editions to proprietary inks. Monteverde’s statement of purpose says it all: It doesn’t get simpler than that, yet the designs themselves are anything but.

The new Monteverde Axis collection of pocket-size fountain pens is inspired by the engineering definition of “axis.” In industrial engineering, the “axis” is the basis by which all innovations are defined and measured. It is the foundation of movement, stability, and symmetry. In simplest terms, the axis is where balance lies, literally and figuratively.