Growing up in Waterbury, brothers Jeremiah and Freddie Vargas developed a passion for baseball. To extend their sport, Jeremiah played at Stonehill College in Massachusetts and his brother traveled to Georgia to compete at Clark Atlantic University.
“Baseball has been a part of our lives for a long time,” said Jeremiah, who also played at Kennedy High School and Taft School. “My parents helped us train hard to become the best players we could be.”
The brothers didn’t pursue professional careers, but they still found a way to break into the big leagues. In 2015, Freddie and Jeremiah Vargas, along with their parents, helped launch Tater, a baseball company that designs high-end wooden bats and baseball equipment.
Their bats and clothing are currently used by approximately 13 Major League Baseball players, as well as 150 minor league players.
“Working on the other side (of the game) is a blessing as well,” Jeremiah said. “Not many people can wear a branded hat and t-shirt every day.”
The family began operating their business in Waterbury, but in the spring of this year purchased a new building at 1484 Highland Avenue, Unit #8, in Cheshire.
“We looked all over the state,” Jeremiah recalled. “We still wanted to be close to home, but also be more centralized. Cheshire was excited to have a sports business in a sports-focused town.
After purchasing their new facility, Tater began construction, then reopened their store in September. The business is still undergoing renovations, but they hope to have an official grand opening in the future.
Jeremiah Vargas thinks it’s a blessing to be able to work with his brother and parents. Freddie is the CEO, while his brother runs the day-to-day operations.
“That’s great. It makes dinner talk revolve around Tater,” Jeremiah said. “We don’t want to be the biggest company, but we want to be the best. There are some arguments, but we all wake up with the same feeling.
Vargas fondly remembers Tater’s debut in the spring of 2015. For his senior year of high school, his father offered to design a steel bat for him in their shed.
In May of that year, Freddie Vargas came up with the idea to launch the brand, initially named Tater Bats, after his brother and father came home from a workout. The family decided to transform their garage into a workshop.
“Over the summer we made a wooden version of this bat (original bat),” Jeremiah recalls. “We didn’t see ourselves going into business, but we started making bats in our shed and things changed. »
In the fall, the company received its first large order from the Southern Connecticut State University program. In 2017, they changed their logo to Tater.
“The first expectation was to help young athletes get to the next level. We wanted to see them go from high school to college and from college to the professional level,” Jeremiah explained. “We wanted to create a good product and help players succeed.”
All of their bats are MLB quality and made from maple and birch wood that the company imports from Canada.
“The colder the weather, the stronger the fiber is for bats. They have to endure this temperature,” Jeremiah explained. “Premium wood is very expensive, but we want players to have the best bat on the market, regardless of their age group. »
The construction process takes approximately two to two and a half weeks.
“The bat is cut on the day of the order,” explains Jérémie. “We do high-end spraying on them. It maintains durability and performance. It also takes seven to eight days to paint.
In January 2018, the company moved from its garage to a 3,000 square foot factory. In the spring of that year, Carlos Correa and Starling Marte became the first MLB players to use their bats in spring training.
In what the family calls the brand’s most pivotal moment, Chicago Cubs catcher Yan Gomez was swinging his bat and hitting a home run on Mother’s Day. The family watched the match on television.
“We have a great photo of him hitting a home run with the bat,” Jeremiah said. “It was a full circle.”
Since entering the MLB, Tater has pivoted to selling uniforms, apparel and gloves as a full-service business.
“Most of our business comes from word of mouth,” Jeremiah said. “The reception was very positive. »
Tater tries to develop friendly, familiar working relationships with players.
“We’re trying to do something like they try to do in baseball. They know we work as hard as they do,” Jeremiah explained. “It’s a hands-on approach and the guys like the personal attention.”
The Vargas family likes to turn on the television to watch players use their sticks and other equipment.
“This takes us back to 2015 and 2016,” Jeremiah mused. “Some guys just use the stick, but others might have gloves, sticks and protective gear. The number (of customers) has increased since we became a full-service company.
Tater is looking forward to getting involved locally with younger programs like Cheshire Aviators and Cheshire Youth Baseball. The company also designed the uniforms for the Cheshire High School team.
“(Head coach) Alex LeFevre is a big supporter of Tater,” Jeremiah said.
In the future, Tater wants to transition to a bigger name at the professional, national and international levels.
“Moving to a larger site (in Cheshire) has helped us continue our expansion,” added Jeremiah. “Baseball is a constantly evolving sport.”
2023-11-25 13:21:04
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