Kenny Azama | Founder at The Wander Club

Part of the fun of traveling is collecting souvenirs from the places you visit – but the more you travel, the more stuff you end up with. That’s precisely what happened to Kenny Azama, owner and founder of Kenny realized that there had to be a better way to commemorate his trips abroad than to collect lots of big and expensive things that he would never look at again.

So he started collecting keychains from every country he visited. But as small as they were, even the keychains started to pile up. He then started brainstorming ways on how to keep all of his travel memories on just one keychain. After a lot of tinkering and experimenting, the Wanderchain was born.. 

“I would buy things like handmade mugs, shot glasses, paintings, and magnets to commemorate all of my travels. But they would eventually just end up sitting in a box in my attic.” 

Looking around at his boxes of souvenirs, he decided there had to be a better way to commemorate his adventures around the world. So he started crafting small engraved tokens for every country he’s been to and now he helps other travelers do the same to keep their memories abroad in one place.

Commemorating Travels and Giving Back

Kenny realized that there had to be a better way to commemorate his trips abroad than to collect lots of big and expensive things that he would never look at again.

So he started collecting keychains from every country he visited. But as small as they were, even the keychains started to pile up. He then started brainstorming ways on how to keep all of his travel memories on just one keychain. After a lot of tinkering and experimenting, the Wanderchain was born.

The Wanderchain is essentially a keychain version of a passport. But instead of collecting stamps, customers collect engraved tokens for every country, US state, or US National Park they’ve been to. These engraved tokens slide onto the Wanderchain as easily as keys slide onto on a keyring. 

It’s unique, it’s portable, it uses eco-friendly materials, and it’s much less expensive than buying souvenirs while traveling.

And then there’s the charitable aspect of The Wander Club. “Traveling is incredible and I’ve been fortunate enough to see and experience many amazing things in my life”, Kenny says. “But on the other side of the spectrum, I have also witnessed lots of poverty and hunger in the places that I’ve visited and that’s really stuck with me. One of the main reasons why I started The Wander Club in the first place was to give back to a world that’s given me so much.”

With that intention, Kenny decided to make giving back a core pillar of his company and with the help of his customers, is making a massive difference for many children around the world.

For every order placed, The Wander Club donates a meal to an orphan abroad with the help of their non-profit partner, Rice Bowls.

To date, The Wander Club has served over 75,000 meals.

“This is 100% a community effort,” Kenny explains. “Every time a customer flips through their tokens, they can feel good about knowing that they helped make a difference in the life of a child. That child has a better chance of staying healthy and fulfilling their potential!”

Kenny advises all companies to bake some social good into their business model. “It not only helps make the world a better place, but an added bonus is that it helps with sales too. Customers who are on the fence about purchasing may just place their order knowing that they have a hand in doing some good.”