Chaco, a maker of outdoor sports sandals based in Paonia, on Thursday announced it was purchased by Wolverine World Wide for an undisclosed price.

Chaco started in 1989 as a whitewater rafting sandal and quickly gained a cult following for its BioCentric footbed and durability. The company had sales of $20 million last year, with the U.S. representing 90 percent of its market.

Wolverine owns Merrell and Patagonia Footwear and plans to boost Chaco's sales overseas. All Chaco companies will continue employment "as the integration strategy is further developed and executed," Wolverine said in a statement. Chaco founder Mark Paigen will stay on as a consultant. The purchase also included ULU, a brand of winter boots.