Photo / Courtesy, Mundbora
Jeffrey Maguire
Updated: October 22, 2024
Houlton bodyguard works to make bags that double as armor
Photo / Courtesy, Mundbora
A personal protection expert has launched Mundbora, an Aroostook County startup that sells assault-proof backpacks and laptop bags.
A combat veteran and personal protection expert in Aroostook County has created an unusual line of products: backpacks and laptop bags that, he says, are assault-proof.
Jeffrey Maguire launched his startup company, Mundbora, and is handcrafting the bags in northern Maine.
Maguire recently obtained a grant from the Maine Technology Institute to scale up production and sales to a larger market.
“The purpose of these bags is to let a user be able to defend themselves and escape a dangerous situation,” Maguire told Mainebiz.
The bags, which sell for $150 according to the company's website, accommodate a shield insert designed to withstand high impacts and provide a layer of defense. The idea, he said, is to create a barrier between the person holding the bag and potential harm from projectiles.
One line of inserts is bulletproof, he said.
The bags are made from 1000 Denier Cordura, a heavyweight nylon with urethane coating. They include reinforced straps and cut-resistant materials, as well as an ergonomic design and lightweight construction, he said.
A-list clients
Maguire, a Rhode Island native, served in the U.S. Army in his early 20s, then moved to New York City, where he went into the field of private security and personal protection.
After Sept. 11, he reenlisted in the Army, served in Iraq, then returned to New York. He is a combat veteran and martial arts expert, emergency medical technician and National Rifle Association-certified firearms instructor, with numerous certifications in related fields such as protective driving and surveillance.
In 2006, he started a company called Maguire Protective Services, specializing in personal protection. A-list clients have included singers Rihanna, Beyoncé and Jay-Z. He's also protected members of the Saudi royal family as part of a U.S. government security team.
He was living in London when he came up with the idea for a body-shield backpack.
“At the time, in London, there were a lot of stabbings,” he said. “It seemed like there was so much violence going on there and around the world, so many school shootings in the U.S. I said, Something has to be done to give everyday citizens some sort of personal protection. By the time you call the police, many times it’s too late.”
The Amish connection
That was about three years ago. He developed the design, formed a corporation and obtained patents.
The design includes a strategic strap configuration intended to allow the user to slide it into a defensive position. Specialized board inserts are stab-proof and even bulletproof, he said.
Then came the challenging part — finding someone who could make the backpacks.
He found that someone in Aroostook County — a region he’s loved for years.
“When I was a kid, my grandfather was an avid hunter and used to come to Maine a lot,” he recalled. “I always used to hear him talking about Maine with his friend. As a child, I was fascinated by Maine.”
In 2012, Maguire bought 125 acres of woodland in Aroostook County.
“My wife and I used to drive up there and we’d stay and walk our property and explore the surrounding area,” he said. “We developed a love for that area.
They bought a house in Houlton and have been there since 2017.
“One day, I was driving down the road. I see Amish people in their horse-drawn cart,” he said. “A light bulb went off: They’re Amish, they make everything by hand. I asked around.”
He found a leatherworker willing to refine the concept with him, using a tough nylon fabric.
“We made a lot of backpacks the first year, but we eventually got it,” he said.
Early sales
Maguire financed the startup with personal funds and recently began working with the Northern Maine Development Commission, which provides business development services, and Maine Technology Institute, which provided a $25,000 matching grant.
Photo / Courtesy, Mundbora
Straps are positioned to allow the user to slide the bag into a defensive position, said Maguire
The word “mundbora” means protector or guardian in old English, he said.
Maguire still has his security company and is often on the road, but has scaled back that part of his life to focus on growing the bag business, with a plan to gradually hire more people from the area.
“It’s been a slow walk,” he said. “I’ve been very particular about who I sell bags to.”
Early sales began about six months ago and include others in the security field, who use them with their clients, as well as families of clients he’s worked with in the past. He’s developed a website to market the product. Local trading posts in Houlton and the surrounding area recently began carrying the product, he said.
Sales so far are small but consistent, he said. He has about 200 bags in stock and recently put in another order with his Amish partners, who declined to be named.
“I’m probably the only person on the entire planet who employs the Amish to make personal protective gear by hand,” he said.
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