Nkuku is a UK company well travelled. It was during time spent in Africa and Asia that its founders became inspired by the traditional skills and age-old techniques that they saw being used. They created Nkuku with a passion to support fair trade, combining comtemporary design with age old traditions, natural materials and sustainable methods of production.
Our mango wood bowls and chopping boards are a part of this story.
The delicious mango is the national fruit of India. Mangoes have been cultivated in South East Asia for thousands of years, there is mention of the fruit in 4th Century Sanskrit. The mango tree has been a constant presence in India and provided food and wood for centuries. India now provides 36 per cent of the world’s supply.
Mango wood is a hard wood; it is strong and durable which makes it a good material for making furniture, and provides longevity to other items including our chopping boards.
This beautiful material has many distinctive properties and characteristics; it has a unique colouring and can vary from light to dark, and the colour palette can stretch from brown to orange and even shades of pink.
Another, and perhaps the most important reason for our love of this beautiful wood is that it is sustainable. The mango trees are initially grown for their fruit but once they have stopped producing they can be cut down and used to create wood products. The removal of the old trees makes space for farmers to plant new mango trees. This not only means that none of the wood is wasted but offers a supplementary income to mango wood farmers.
Words & photos courtesy of Nkuku
(Apologies, these products are no longer available)
