Made in Scotland: Greater Good Wood
Welcome to our monthly Made in Scotland blog where we explore the incredibly creative and beautiful makers in the best wee country in the world! This month we’re chatting with Joe from Greater Good Wood who we discovered when we turned up at Scottish Design Exchange on George Street in Edinburgh. Joe and his team create handmade sustainable products from wood that support communities across Scotland. What’s not to love about ethically made products created in Scotland that give back to the people around them?!
Joe from Greater Good Wood
Can you tell us how your business got started?
I used to live in London and was the Global Insurance manager for one of the big four audit firms. When my wife and I decided to move home to Scotland I decided to take the opportunity to change my working life (and extend my own, I think). I always wanted to do something creative and have always enjoyed working with wood. When I started the company, operating as a social enterprise just seemed to make sense. I think the world needs more of that.
Cheeseboards from Greater Good Wood
Where do you look for inspiration when you are designing new products?
Can you tell us a bit more about how you make your products?
I have the messiest workshop in the world in Bathgate in West Lothian. It really is a sight to behold. I spend most of my time trying to work out new ways to get a straight line out of a whisky cask stave as those are made of some of the finest oak in the world but are an incredibly inconvenient shape!
Whisky Wood Pizza Rockers from Greater Good Wood
What are your most popular products and which are your own favourites?
My most popular product is my whisky wood pizza rocker, a pizza cutter fashioned from 100 year old whisky wood. This is perhaps my single finest design idea and I promise I’m not at all grumpy that variations are starting to show up from other makers!
Edinburgh is Great Coasters from Greater Good Wood
Our coasters also sell very well as these can be personalised for our stockists and feature landmarks close to where they will be sold. My favourite item to make though is our cask stave clocks. These combine a beautiful piece of Scottish hardwood and some old whisky steel, I really enjoy working on those.
Stave Clocks from Greater Good Wood
If you had to pick one place in Scotland to recommend that people visit, where would it be?
Which other Scottish Makers do you love to recommend?
There are lots and lots of Scottish makers that I champion whenever I’m given the chance (working with Scottish Design Exchange helps me do that as often as possible) but if you force me to go with just one, I’d recommend Josh Moir Art as I currently have a painting of his on my living room wall! Because we love his art so much, my wife asked him to be the resident artist for a podcast she produces Shami’s Speakeasy (If you scroll down you can see the Zines that Josh has designed for each episode.)
Thanks so much to Joe for taking the time to talk with us and do make sure that you follow Greater Good Wood on their Website, Facebook or Instagram!