A Bunbury Board from bunburyboards.com
Made In Ireland
Bunbury Boards

Bunbury Boards has its genesis in the Lisnavagh Timber Project, which was started by William Bunbury in 2001.

“The aim of it was to add value to the timber coming from our own woodlands here at Lisnavagh, Co Carlow,” says Bunbury.  “Initially, I sold dried planks to furniture makers. But, in 2004, we started to make joinery items such as kitchen worktops and bookshelves. In 2008, despite entering a recession, we expanded the business, to make and sell high-end products for the retail market and Bunbury Boards was launched.

“Our boards are expensive to make, of high quality, with a truly unique selling point – each purchaser gets a free ‘Tree Report’.   The report includes a ‘log number’ with access to a summary about where the tree used to make your board was sited and the reason why the tree came down. “We accept trees felled as part of a sensible and licensed forest
management operation or where they posed a genuine danger.

The Tree Report documents the reason and date the tree came down, its species, where it was growing, what has been done to replace it and any other interesting information. Usually, there is a photograph of the tree or woodland.”

A variety of Irish-only grown hardwoods, including oak, ash, beech, sycamore, elm, holly, birch and cherry, are used to make the boards. About half of the trees come from the woodlands at Lisnavagh.

The Bunbury Boards range has expanded and now includes 15 styles, each available in up to four different sizes. “In addition, we launched six new products recently under the Bunbury Kitchen label, including bread boxes, caddies and knife holders,” says Bunbury.

Prices range from €15 to €199, with the majority of boards priced between €40 and €90. Available in Kilkenny shops, Amotts, Avoca, House of Fraser among others and online at bunburyboards.com.  In Britain, Bunbury Boards are sold in larger Marks & Spencer and in Harrods, while Williams-Sonoma are stockists in the US, making this a truly international Irish craft story.

The Sunday Business Post June 1 2014 Magazine page 15