Honouring the true origins of this craft is so important to us, so we take very seriously our responsibility to be careful conduits of the craft from their studios to ours. Over more than a decade, we have developed close relationships with our carvers, visiting them at least once a year and keep in weekly communication from our UK studio. Every time we visit, we take time to observe and understand the carving process so that together we can make sure everything is as easy and fair as possible for our teams, and ensures a good living. We also take time to train in a wide range of block printing studios to learn from the masters of printing, allowing us to bring these skills back home to share with you in our studio.
Our connection with India
Our connection with India is a vital part of our business. Here's how we nurture it.
We are always learning from the masters of our craft.
We support our carvers' businesses & their families.
Our carvers are the heart of our business and we believe in actively supporting and helping them to grow. This includes supporting the development of a new carving studio in rural Rajasthan. We also care a great deal for our carvers' wider families as the relationships extend to inclusion in family weddings and important announcements. No one working for the Indian Block Print Co. is simply a faceless supplier to us - we are colleagues and family, from Oxfordshire right across the globe.
We track the footprint of every single block.
We feel strongly about leaving as light a footprint as possible on the planet, and that means having a clear picture of the entire supply chain from forest to studio for every block. Believe it or not, we can actually track a block right the way back to the GPS co-ordinates of the forest it originated in, ensuring that our wood comes from sustainably managed sources and is replanted and that our carvers are treated and paid fairly. We also commit to regularly funding tree planting programmes elsewhere in the world.
Our blocks are manufactured from the highest quality wood and treated to ensure a lifetime of making for you, and no need to replace due to wear and tear.
"We love that our business is currently supporting around 60 carvers and their families, keeping the traditional craft of block carving alive for future generations."
- Maggie, our founder