Even though Corozo is arguably one of the most ecological materials imaginable from which to make buttons, our raw material does come a long way. So, in an effort to offset the carbon footprint of importing our Corozo blanks from Ecuador, we have decided to donate trees to good causes here in the UK and we need your help. With the planting season coming up, do tell us if you know a community garden or orchard, school yard or similar which would be interested in receiving a 3 year-old sapling free of charge. Grown in the UK by Potash Farm, a well-established Kentish grower, to assure provenance and reduce any risk of importing disease, the trees will be a growing reminder of our commitment to the environment. What trees are they? Nut trees of course! So, not only do they offset our carbon footprint, they provide a fabulous source of nutrition, too. Do let us know if you have somewhere in mind and we’ll provide details on the best sites and growing conditions – david@courtneyandco.uk

We were delighted and honoured to receive a visit from HRH The Princess Royal in her capacity as President of the UKFT yesterday. Staying with us for a full hour, we were able to present to HRH an overview of button-making, past, present and future. Starting with our in-house heritage centre dedicated to James Grove & Sons we discussed the sad demise of the company and our efforts to revive button-making in the UK outlining the challenges and opportunities faced. We also showed her the raw materials we use, the processes of making and polishing buttons and told her of our efforts to discover new ecological materials which complement our existing range and which help to reduce waste, environmental pollution and the use of petro-chemical materials in future. A brief foray into our newly finished dye shop was followed by the signing of our visitor book and the presentation of a gift book containing a set of Corozo buttons based on a 1920’s James Grove button sample book. HRH was incredibly well informed and demonstrated a quite impressive knowledge of button-making and the materials used – even making suggestions as to potential new products. We are immensely grateful to HRH for taking the time to visit us.

Yes, even button-makers need a break and our annual summer leave is nearly upon us. So, please note that our office and factory will be closed between 11^th and the 22^nd August 2019 - the last shipping day before we close will be Friday, 9^th August. All orders received while we are away will be processed as soon as possible upon our return. No doubt we’ll be back full of energy ready for autumn.

Photo shows members of James Grove & Sons staff in front of the Bloomfield Works in Halesowen, c.1925. Courtesy of The James Grove Heritage Centre.