Where are your products made?

Where are your products made?

When I attend events, I’m often asked where our products are made. I find it so tricky to answer that - what does it mean?  where was it decorated? where was it grown? where was it manufactured?  I say they are designed in Scotland and made in the UK.  I’m then sometimes questioned about where the china products are actually made.  So this blog is all about where all our lovely products are made.  

Each manufacturer has been chosen to ensure a high standard and to keep as much of the manufacturing process in the UK as possible.  This lowers our airmiles and environmental footprint as well as supporting small businesses across the UK.  As with most items manufactured in the UK - the raw materials come from abroad. We don’t grown cotton in the UK and we no longer have a vibrant ceramics industry and so are very limited in the range of styles available in the UK.  Sadly I’m not able to set up my own china manufacturing base, however much I’d love to have them completely bespoke.

So here’s where each of them is made…

china products: The biscuit fired pots are made in the far east. They are made in factory with ethical policies that ensure good working conditions and fair pay.  In Scotland it’s difficult to get hold of china that is made here, particularly when you want a particular style behind your products. I wanted the mugs and jugs to have a simple and modern aesthetic, no twiddly bits or twirls.  This aesthetic sets off the simplicity of the designs.  So the raw materials are sourced from elsewhere. However, the decoration is applied by hand by manufacturers in Stoke - the ceramics capital of the UK - not far from Middleport made famous by "The Great Pottery Throwdown".  They are then kiln-fired to make them both microwave and dishwasher proof.  

cotton products:  The cotton fabric is also sourced from the far east.  The cotton products are printed and stitched in Staffordshire and Lincolnshire, where the labels that are made in Glasgow, are also added.  

melamine products: Our table mats, coasters, pot stands, serving mats and chopping boards are made in Lincolnshire.  The base wood is also sourced from the UK.

packaging:  All of our boxes are made in the UK from recycled cardboard.  Our shredded paper packaging in the boxes is made in the UK from recycled coffee cups.  If you order online, if you order more than just a mug, your parcel may well be re-using a box that has been sent to us. When we send out our orders to trade customers, we always reuse the boxes that have been sent to us. This way we are minimising waste as much as possible.

candles: Our china pots are manufactured with our other china products in Stoke. They are then shipped up to Scotland where they are hand filled with natural soy wax in Fife.

designs/paintings: All of these are created in my studio in Penicuik, Midlothian - just south of Edinburgh, Scotland.  All paintings are made on canvas in my studio, then photographed and translated into designs for all of our products.

All products are dispatched from Penicuik, packed by hand and are handled with care.  We take pride in our ranges and our manufacturers and hope this blog helps you see why that question is so tricky to answer.
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