Sitting at his Southern California dining table in 1978, innovative
entrepreneur, Yair “Jerry” Greenberg thoughtfully wrote
down
the first two letters of his given name, “YA,” and added
the corresponding letters, “FA,” of his wife's first name,
Fay. Later that year, YAFA Pen Company was birthed. In the
ensuing years YAFA not only firmly established it’s own multi-collection
line of fine pens and pencils, but was chosen as North American distributor
of the distinguished, Napoli-based, Italian pen crafter, Delta,
and has become the largest single source for premium pen refills in
the Western Hemisphere, featuring Schmidt and Hauser
products.
An adaption into Italian of the English Greenberg, Monteverde®
is the name of a division of YAFA. Though a relative newcomer to the
world and industry of pen design and crafting, Monteverde enjoys respect
and market penetration that are the result of successful experience
in service to the fine and luxury writing instruments trade in the
United States, accruing over twenty-seven years. Offering “thousands
of ways to improve the fun, fashion, and function of writing,”
the young company designs and manufactures elegant chirographic implements
that combine the finest European resins, celluloid's, and carbon fibers
with state-of-the-art ink technologies.
A closely-watched, and oft’ imitated, industry leader, early
in 2006 Yair Greenberg realized that the business of pen design and
manufacturing needed a fresh breath, a new burst of innovation—new
ways to carry pens, new systems to transfer ideas to paper. That year
he sloganeered a bold new way that pen design should be approached,
“CREATING NEW IDEAS FROM THE INSIDE OUT™”. Mr. Greenberg
had become convinced that the heart of any writing instrument system
is the method by which it is refilled, and concluded that he would
no longer create new pens for beauty alone. Forthwith, every pen that
Monteverde introduced would feature innovations to make the act of
writing easier, more inspiring, and just plain fun.
Yair’s strategy became one of offering ballpoint, rollerball,
and fountain pens, all in colors that would regularly redefine the
term “colour palette,” and at price points that would
please and invite both a broad consumer base, and fine pen fanciers
and collectors. Materials are sourced from suppliers worldwide to
insure unparalleled quality and performance, and an uninterrupted
flow. Monteverde has been featured in many magazines and news papers,
industry-specific and otherwise. The September 2006 issue of Oprah
Winfrey’s, O Magazine, featured a story on the art
of writing, which encouraged readers to examine and try out luxury
pens, to get the most out of the act of self-expression. Specifically
featured were the Monteverde Jewelria,
and the Mini
Jewelria rollerball pens.
Holding worldwide patents for exclusive mechanisms and designs, in
2006 Monteverde unveiled the now famous MEGA
Ink Ball. In fact the World's first luxury rollerball, it
fills from a bottle of ink, just like a fountain pen. Writing with
a Monteverde MEGA is like writing with nothing else. Available in
several different versions, including a Limited
Edition, and the just released M3,
with various cosmetic differences, the Mega Ink Ball has been written
up in the New York Times and other major publications.
In 2007, the company introduced a new and exciting addition to the
Artista line, the RPM
(Refillable Permanent Marker), or Perma. Up till now, permanent
markers were able to put down a permanent mark, but the pens themselves
had to be thrown away when the ink supply ran out. The first pen in
history to use a refill that writes on virtually any surface (plastic,
leather, textiles, metal, and many more), the Monteverde RPM changes
all that. Accepting an extremely wide variety of universally available
refills, the RPM provides a broad array of color options.
Very popular over seas is the Diva
Lipstick Collection. Here is a way to have a full size pen
at all times just by carrying a safe and enclosed little tube, less
than four inches long. Monteverde created a pen based on the iconic
and universal shape of the common lipstick dispenser. The Diva Lipstick
Pen is simple, fun, and perfect for the fashionista on the
go. Just like lipstick, the Monteverde Diva starts out as a short,
closed tube, but easily transforms into a full size-writing instrument.
Most recently, the company introduced Nabu
Inside-Out Mega Ball. At the dawn of the 18th century, a
new art form emerged in China. The process was called inside (or,
reverse) painting. Clear snuff bottles were hand painted on the inside,
which yielded some of most prized collectibles that the world has
ever seen. The idea of hand-painting luxury acrylic pens on the inside
so that the art is protected on, and from, the outside was conceived
and brought to life by Monteverde’s founder and president, Yair
Greenberg. Some twenty years ago, during his travels abroad, Greenberg
started to collect inside painted snuff bottles. Over time he began
to envision and devise a way to apply the process to acrylic pens.
When told that “it couldn’t be done” he felt instinctively
that it “must be done”.
Involving factories and artists in 5 different countries, Monteverde
brings the fruit of Yair’s dedication and perseverance to its
latest series of elegant, limited edition pens. Incredibly, but in
line with long-established Monteverde practice, the Nabu Inside-Out,
one-of-a-kind collector's items are being offered at price points
that make such fine instruments available to all writers. Monteverde’s
original art is hand-painted on the inside of special, hand-made clear
acrylic resin barrels, with specially designed and made brushes. The
end result of bringing together of these materials, artisans, and
processes is the ability to reproduce any image, hand-painted inside
of these exceptional pens. Soon to be released is the fountain pen
version of the Nabu, Inside-Out.