Our Roots

History

Orchard isn't just a name- it represents things being cultivated over time: ideas, craftsmanship, knowledge, relationships and growth.

Founded by Matt Chojnacki from a lifelong curiosity for surfboards and the different feelings they can create, Orchard takes its name from Orchard Road in Brookvale on Sydney’s Northern Beaches-an area that has shaped both Matt’s family story and Australia’s surfing history

Long before coffee shops, breweries and warehouses transformed Brookvale, Orchard Road was lined with market gardens and the orchard trees that gave the street its name. As the area evolved through the 1950s and the surfing boom of the 1960s, Brookvale became an epicentre of Australian surfboard manufacturing. It has long been a place of creation, experimentation and craftsmanship across a variety of industries.

In what would become a serendipitous move during Matt’s early years of surfing, his parents, Mark and Deb, took the reins of one of Brookvale’s oldest automotive body shops on Orchard Road. A qualified panel beater, spray painter and fibreglasser, Mark carried forward a legacy of craftsmanship and strong community ties.

The family business on Orchard Road operated amongst some of surfing’s pioneering names, including Gordon Woods, Scott Dillon, Keyo, Bennett, Hot Buttered, Farrelly, McGrigor and DALE. Repairing the cars of local surfers and shapers created lasting relationships and organically connected the Chojnacki family to Brookvale’s unique surf culture.

Growing up, when Matt wasn’t in the water between Manly and Palm Beach, he spent countless hours skating Brookvale’s industrial streets, wandering through shaping bays and hot rod workshops before working alongside his father after hours. His collection of vintage surf magazines featured those same factory addresses and shopfronts, fuelling a fascination with Brookvale’s bygone era. Old boards in the rafters, faded photographs on workshop walls and generations of craftsmanship left a lasting impression.

Long before Orchard Surf became a business, Matt was tinkering with cars and repairing his own boards alongside his father in the family workshop. What began as a hobby evolved into a lifelong pursuit of understanding surfboard design, chasing new feelings in the ocean and creating boards with a purpose.

Today, Orchard brings together those roots in family craftsmanship, Brookvale’s surf heritage and Matt’s decades of surfing, travel and design experience. While Matt has designed Orchard’s foundation range, each model continues to evolve through testing and feedback from team riders, customers and the craftspeople who bring the boards to life

As Orchard grows, so will the people and ideas behind it- through collaborations with friends, shapers, designers and craftspeople who bring their own experience to the mix. Just as orchard trees once lined Orchard Road, every Orchard product is another fruit of that legacy. Crafted with purpose and made for a lifetime of trim

Brand Values

Orchard is built on purpose, craftsmanship, curiosity, collaboration and continual refinement.

We value things made well, ideas developed through experience and the knowledge that comes from sharing them. We respect surfing’s past while staying curious about new designs, new feelings and what comes next.

Rooted on Orchard Road. Cultivated through experience. Growing around the world.

Mission

To create thoughtful, quality surfboards and equipment that help surfers explore new feelings, different lines and a deeper connection with the ocean.

Orchard is cultivated through time in the water. Through surfing, travel, testing and collaboration, we develop equipment with purpose while remaining immersed in the cultures and communities that make surfing what it is.

As Orchard grows, we aim to support the next generation of surfers and craftspeople, planting seeds for new ideas, relationships and opportunities around the world.

Custom Orders

Work directly with Matt to create a surfboard tailored to your style, ability and the waves you love to surf. Every custom board is built with purpose and crafted just for you.

EXPLORE CUSTOM

Shop All

Explore our foundation range of surfboards,
available to pre-order, along with premium fins and
accessories designed to complement your surfing.

SHOP NOW

Designed by surfers

Every board comes from decades of real surfing, international travel, elite competition and coaching hundreds of surfers. Not trend reports.

Shaped by surfers

Each board is crafted with a focus on performance, durability and purposeful design features. Built to reward you session after session, year after year.