Ink, Toner Sales a Habit for Monks

Padre of Print: Rev. Brennan with products. Buried in the mountains more than 20 miles southeast of Palmdale is a growing ink and toner business. And it isn’t an isolated office supply store – it’s a monastery. The Benedictine monks of St. Andrew’s Abbey, located in the tiny desert town of Valyermo, sell ink and toner to businesses, schools and religious organizations across the country. Father Joseph Brennan, who is in charge of the operation, said business at Monks Ink has doubled in the last six months. “We’re averaging about 100 orders, or 400 ink cartridges, per month,” he said. “About a year ago, when this started, it was less than a quarter of that.” The business model is wholesale supply, and entirely virtual. The monks have contracts with four different ink suppliers in different regions of the country. When an order is received at the monk’s website, the product is shipped directly from the supplier. While it may seem strange to think of a monastery selling ink, monks have been running businesses for hundreds of years. Some of the earliest, and still very successful monk businesses, include making beer. Chimay, the popular Belgian beer, is made at Scourmont Abbey, a Trappist monastery in Chimay, Belgium. And throughout the United States, other monasteries make money to provide their food and upkeep through different businesses. Most, however, focus on products that are literally the fruits of their labors, like the Trappist monks. Brennan said Monks Ink sells to big and small businesses, but doesn’t deny the marketing benefit of religion for his business. “You might call this a loyalty market,” he said. “Some of our larger customers include religious orders and even other abbeys. But other people are very supportive of us and value the ministry.” Alan Erickson is the managing director of the Catholic Finance Corp. of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., a group that advises schools, parishes and religious orders on financial matters. He said religious businesses can have a strong marketing advantage as customers may believe their purchase to be more philanthropic. “They can certainly play up the fact that it’s a religious institution and that helps,” he said. “Some of these monks are very successful.” Monk business There are several other monk orders that have started successful businesses to support their way of life. The Brigittine monks in Amity, Ore. produce fudge and other candy; the St. Joseph Abbey in Saint Benedict, La. makes and sells soap; and monks at the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur sell fruit cake that’s well-known in the area. In fact, the monks in Valyermo are not the first to sell printer ink. Monks in Sparta, Wis., ran a successful ink and toner supply business until 2011. The business went under and the monks sold their belongings, eventually going their separate ways. The Cistercian Abbey then sold the business name and customer list. The e-commerce site still exists online. Brennan said the decision to sell ink and toner, as odd as it may seem, came as an ode to the order’s history. “Monks in the old ages were known for transcribing documents,” he said. “We’re not doing illuminated manuscripts obviously, but we’re making ink available to others. It connects with us.” Monks Ink sells all the usual ink and toner brands, including Hewlett-Packard, Cannon, Epson and Dell. Its prices are in line with the rest of the industry. But Monks Ink is heavily focused on remanufactured ink, which involves refilling recycled ink cartridges. “The largest savings we offer comes from remanufacturing. They’re compatible. It’s like a generic,” Brennan said. Monks Ink has about 220 businesses that regularly order, with more than 1,000 in its database. The money the monks make goes to everything from feeding the 22 monks, four of whom participate daily in the ink business, to repairing the monastery. The building was erected in 1955, after the monks were forced out of China by the communist regime. Donald Beckman, facilities supervisor at the Corpus Christi Catholic Parish in Bonita, has been ordering from the Valyermo monks for more than a year. He said supporting the monks’ way of life is important to his church. “We want to support any religious business we can because that’s what we are,” he said. “When buying, it’s important to know who they are and what the money is going to support. It’s a huge factor.” New world Brennan hopes Monks Ink will help fuel significant renovations to the abbey. The monks plan to turn an old dairy barn into living quarters for the monks, convert a stable into a chapel and use the main ranch house as a place for those interested in religious retreats. Erickson, from Catholic Finance, said the modern world has made business ventures necessary for monks to survive and maintain their way of life. “Things are different now. You can’t just remove yourself totally from society and try to sustain your community,” he said. “They have to pay the same bills others have to pay.” St. Andrew’s Abbey has other revenue streams as well, renting rooms in the monastery’s retreat house for those looking for a getaway and operating a youth center. Single room rates in the retreat house are $75 a night Monday through Thursday and $100 a night through the weekend, with food provided. The monks also sell ceramics and books at an on-site gift shop. Monks Ink has plans for expansion. Brennan said the abbey is looking into adding more offerings, such as paper, pencils and other office supplies. “Eventually we’d like to develop into a one-stop office shop,” he said.