Our Story
Hello, and welcome to our pride and joy, The Cornhole Cave! We hope you feel like family here. We’d love to introduce ourselves—Ryan and Jessica Gudenkauf, proud parents of two little ones, Archer (3) and Tatum (1). Every day with them is a gift from God, and we cherish every moment.
Here’s a little background on how The Cornhole Cave came to be. Right out of college at Kansas State University, we both knew that someday, we wanted to start our own business. At the time, Ryan was working in orthopedic medical sales, and Jessica was teaching elementary school when COVID-19 hit, pausing all of Ryan's elective surgeries. During that time, we picked up cornhole as a hobby. Ryan invested about $400 in what he thought was quality cornhole equipment—only for it to fall apart in less than two months! After researching, we struggled to find a brand that offered cornhole equipment built to last and at a fair price.
Eventually, we decided to test the waters with a “cornhole trailer,” traveling around to different events to sell our products—and we were met with incredible demand! From there, we grew into a 900 sq. ft. retail store in Wichita, KS, one of the first of its kind. Now, we’ve expanded into a 3,000 sq. ft. facility with all the equipment to produce our own boards and bags, along with a small, dedicated team. We’re thrilled to say we can now produce over 500 sets per month! Fun fact: Ryan built our first set in our garage, and it took nearly a week to finish after work each day. Now, we can complete a set from start to finish in just 1-2 hours.
Ryan is passionate about inspiring others to pursue their own passions and wants to leave you with one of his favorite quotes: "Be the standard, not the exception. Lead with excellence, and inspire others to rise with you."
We’re passionate about the craftsmanship and quality of every piece we produce, and we look forward to getting to know our customers personally.
Cheers, Ryan, Jessica, and family