Field Notes is a joint venture by the Draplin Design Company of Portland, Ore. and Coudal Partners in Chicago, Ill. The company was founded in 2007 and owes their existence to a tradition of promotional memo books distributed to American farmers over the last hundred years by seed, tractor, and other agricultural companies. In creating their product, they use only papers sourced and manufactured in the U.S.A. (mostly from the Great Lakes region) and print locally in the Chicago area. In the years since their founding, they have become the standard when it comes to everyday carry writing instruments.