I was asked by Christina on Facebook where we get our mugs from and I thought it might be useful to talk about what we try to do when we are sourcing things.
The basic rule is that we try to source things from as near as possible - our mirror components now come from Germany as that is now possible
Our mug blanks also come from Europe as sadly we haven't been able to source any with the recquisite coating from within the UK.
I am very happy that we have managed to find them both closer than China which is where the vast majority of blanks come from. There is undeniably a cost implication but I feel it is worth it.
It has to be said that our more expensive German mirrors are of a higher quality than the Chinese ones we used before and by buying in larger quantities & doing a bit of negotiating we were able to keep the price differential down.
Our tea towels are made in the UK (and for the printed ones they are printed here too)
and our t-shirts are made in Tanzania from organic, Fair Trade cotton.
Our shoe bags and kit bags are made in China. We have chosen to deal with a UK based company that we believe is trying their very best to address any potential ethical and environmental concerns. They buy from a single source and adhere to Fair Trade standards. The cotton used in the bags is grown organically and undyed. The bags are transported in large loads by sea. It is, we believe, the best solution at the moment.
We are constantly re-visiting this side of our business and we are always very happy to answer any questions you have.
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