The Making of the Blantyre Jars

The Blantyre Jars are truly one of a kind and one of our favourite products! We wanted to share the wonderful story behind the creation of these uniquely striking products....

Discarded wine bottles are first collected from hotels and restaurants in Blantyre city, Malawi. Each bottle is cut by hand with a twine and sanded using stones and sandpaper to ensure smoothness. Then, lids are made from sustainably sourced local mahogany wood, each one hand carved with its own unique grain and made to fit only the jar its designed for. When the jars are ready, sturdy cardboard boxes are made by hand out of recycled paper that is collected from offices and schools to package each one. Every step of the process is carried out by hand, by incredibly talented artisans in Blantyre.

The organisation that we have partnered with nurtures local artisanal talent and fosters their creativity through the use of natural resources. They help them build sustainable businesses by lending them interest free loans so they can establish and grow their own enterprises. This ensures indigenous skills survive for the next generation and also enables the artisans to have a better income and standard of living through fair trade.

Here is a video that shows you the making of the jar in Blantyre - we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

If you like the jars, you can buy them here - they are a great addition to any room in the house and ideal in the kitchen or bathroom, or just as display pieces.