The Courteney Concept

“Living the Spirit of Africa”

As it did to Selous, the promise of adventure drew me to Africa.

It was during the Rhodesian campaign of the seventies that I and most other able-bodied men were spending a large part of our lives in the bush. Companions would so often say to me, “Where did you get your boots?  I want a pair like that.” So I made a pair for them. I’m a third generation shoe maker and designer, and at that time had been making mainstream footwear for over forty years.

Eventually I established a modest workshop of my own making classic hunting boots the traditional way – as my father and grandfather did before me – with the old-fashioned values of hardiness and durability as well as comfort. Because they just don’t make them like that anymore.

And because we all want romance and adventure in our lives.

	John A. Rice CEO, The Courteney Boot Company

Today the Courteney Boot Company ships its exclusive, handmade boots all over the world. The company workshops are located in the historical city of Bulawayo, built as a pioneer fort near the royal kraal of king Lobengula of the Matabele. After 100 years Bulawayo still retains an air of colonial elegance, and is a clean and friendly city with tree-lined avenues, a thriving industrial sector and modern facilities.

All materials used in the making of these boots are from renewable resources. Indeed the commercial use of our wildlife ensures its long-term conservation on a continent where population pressures on ‘undeveloped’ land are high, and growing stronger every year.