EAST OF INDIA

East of India was started February 1991 by John Ayris and Anne Spratling. Whilst travelling throughout Asia they met a talented craftsman in Bali who had made a beautiful wooden pig, among other amazing products. they bought the pig and packed it into our rucksack. Three months later back in the UK they received so many admiring comments regarding our pig they decided to start our own business, introducing these beautiful handmade crafts to a wider audience.

They showed a selection of carved wooden products to a few local shops, carried out some research into importing and selling hand crafted goods and, following a disappointing reaction from several banks, secured a loan from the Prince’s Trust. Together with business and legal advice, The Trust appointed a mentor who provided invaluable support and gave a great boost to their confidence.

They returned to Bali and re-engaged with our craftsman and East of India was born.

It took more than two months for that first shipment to reach the UK. It soon became clear they needed to start finding business from further afield and the Prince’s Trust offered us the chance of a subsidised stand at a trade fair.

Today all of their products are designed with love and care at their studio in Folkestone and they still work closely with their original ‘family team’, who now employ numerous other friends and family members to satisfy demand.

They offer sustainable employment to the artisans who are still able to earn a living using traditional skills passed down through the generations.

The East of India team in Folkestone has also evolved and grown, many of our staff have been with them since the early days. They respond with energy and enthusiasm to the ever changing requirements of a small business. They now print and manufacture all of our greetings cards, labels and paper products in house.

East of India takes seriously its corporate responsibility on environmental issues. For a number of years they have been involved with a tree planting project in Indonesia. Wood used in today’s products come from seedlings planted no more than 10 years ago. Each tree harvested is replaced with another, which in turn will be ready to use 10 years after planting. The tree used is Albizia Falcata, grown in the foothills on dry land that cannot be used for rice fields.

East of India is also the owner and guardian of ‘Oak Wood’ in Kent, 22 acres designated as ancient woodland in an area of outstanding natural beauty and a site of special scientific interest.

Their office and warehouse in the UK has a solar power installation which helps them generate over half the electricity they need. Importantly this saves over 32 tons of CO2 being added to the atmosphere every year.

East of India have always been mindful of their impact on the environment and since the beginning have always used recycled paper and cardboard wherever possible. They re-use all boxes to repackage orders. They use corn starch compostable bags for our greeting card packaging.