11/02/2026
With heavy hearts the Key Leaves family mourns the passing of Tom Wanne. On paper Tom was our Business Development Officer - an industry vet with successes including co-founding Theo Wanne mouthpiece company, work for Fiberreed, Forestone, and Nadir Saxwind, and Tom’s own distribution company, The Wedge.
In person Tom Wanne was so much more.
Tom joined the Key Leaves team a month after we first launched in 2018. He brought extraordinary business savvy and industry connections, and helped me craft a wholesale strategy, build up the dealer network, refine the marketing plan, and pace out the product development schedule.
I created Key Leaves and crafted our products, but Tom Wanne shaped our business more than any other person.
If it were not for Tom Wanne helping Key Leaves grow during our early startup phase, this company would be less vibrant and profitable. His help made Key Leaves more than my garage-based passion project.
I leaped into the adventure of product design and manufacturing with limited industry experience and no experience running a music products company. Tom filled gaps in talent and knowledge and became my most trusted mentor.
Tom was well connected in the music industry yet working with him never felt transactional or flashy. His kind light-hearted personality and soft-spoken nature made every meeting feel easy, like a first meeting of mutual friends who had so much in common we surely should all work together.
As any small business owner knows, there are days, weeks and sometimes months that feel never-ending, excruciating, just far too much to bear - especially during a pandemic and Trump trade war. I felt that heavy weight on my shoulders but Tom was there to help lift and cheer us all on in the struggle. He was quick to comfort with a joke or a wise anecdote about the industry, or simply share his zen acceptance of things beyond our control. Tom was sincere. His friendly care and wisdom was priceless! -----
Read the full tribute and learn what that silly hulk glove is about at:
https://keyleaves.com/blogs/news/tom-wanne-tribute
