In August of 2016, my wife suffered a severe TBI (Hemorrhagic Stroke). A bleeder deep in her brain caused massive swelling which left her immobile. The only thing she had was her sight, and she could hear, no movement in her extremities. Because of the severity of her injury, she was not given much of a chance to survive. She has since overcome the odds and is now up and doing great, she is a modern-day miracle!
So that we could still enjoy exploring this great State’s scenic beauty we bought a Side by Side to get out and see all the awesome sites here in Utah. One of the challenges we faced on our trips was trying to find a place to stop and take a break and eat lunch. Most of the time out on a ride, finding a place with shade was difficult. Add in my wife’s immobility, it was sometimes too hot in the sun to be comfortable. I wanted to design a lightweight, convenient, functional awning system for us so we could have some shade quickly and conveniently. So we made a shade awning and took it everywhere we went riding. Not only did we love it, everyone that saw it wanted to know about it and how to get one. After so many requests, we decided to create the Banza Shade Co.
“Banza” is the Creole word for Awning, we liked it, a short and catchy name. Out of necessity to solve a problem, we feel like we have a product that many other Outdoor Explorers will enjoy. Not only Side by Side owners, but many Off-Road Vehicles can use our product for some temporary shade from the Sun.