Are you a coffee and design addict like myself? If so there’s a product out there that might feed your addiction. And no, I’m not talking about a new coffee maker but Sobremesa’s coffee wood utensils like cooking spoons, spatulas or knife spreaders. They are handmade in Guatemala without the use of electric equipment by an artisan community called Cuchareros which translates to “spoonmakers”. The coffee wood comes from trees that can’t produce coffee berries anymore used to make coffee. All eco-chic utensils are made from untreated wood and carved by hand without the need of water during the production process. Usually when it comes to wood in the use of sustainable home accessories or furniture I look for third party certifications such as FSC-certified. The wood used in the utensils is certified by the National Forestry Institute of Guatemala which helps to preserve local forests.
Other products that are part of Sobremesa’s sustainable tableware collection are the Higuerilla wooden bowls made by the artisans of PaTS in Peru. They are handcrafted as well but use wood sourced from sustainably managed forests in the Amazon. What both collections have in common is that they support artisans with a fair wage and healthy working conditions. Sobremesa is a collaboration between Mimi Robinson Design and Greenheart which is a fair trade non-profit organization committed to the economic development of artisans worldwide. Mimi Robinson is the designer behind the collection that comes from 4 countries and 9 artisan communities. It includes contemporary looking wood serving pieces, ceramic dinnerware, glass and even colorful textiles. You’ll find pretty much anything you might need to have a nice dinner in a relaxed environment influenced by styles from around the globe. After all Sobremesa means “over the table” in Spanish and what better way to connect with family and friends than over good food and conversation. The only way how this could be improved would be with a good bottle of wine. But hey, even that’s taken care of with new handblown decanters and carafes made of lead-free recycled glass. Buen provecho!