Why we love Willow & Chalk
Tell us a bit about yourself and your products
We are Willow & Chalk - AKA husband and wife team, Nick & Coral - creators of pure, sustainable willow charcoal and natural chalk for artists. We’re lucky to live on an island on the Norfolk Broads, with plenty of access to plentiful natural chalk deposits and lots of crack willow trees; which just so happen to be the perfect material for making artists’s charcoal. All of our products are created by hand in small batches for a truly pure and authentic end result.
Our core product is our charcoal and chalk tin. It’s filled with pure willow charcoal sticks of varying thicknesses, as well as one or two pieces of natural artist’s chalk. The chalk is hand-sanded for a smooth glide across the paper. We also offer 130ml jars of chalk pieces and have plans to launch both powdered charcoal and powdered chalk in the near future.
What made you set up your own business:?
As Coral is an artist, we were already making charcoal and gathering pieces of chalk here and there for our own use. Over time, we realised that we were creating charcoal pieces of better quality than those we had bought in the past - much smoother and less scratchy on the paper, so why not share this with others?
Our garden has multiple crack willow trees in it, many of which need regular trimming to ensure their safety (crack willow is notorious for breaking and dropping branches, hence its name). It is fast growing and very regenerative; it will regrow simply by sticking a twig in the bare ground! As we create our charcoal in small batches, we can often take advantage of branches which have naturally dropped. This, paired with planting new trees, ensures a fully sustainable, low-implact process.
Charcoal and chalk are two of the world’s most ancient art mediums: from cave paintings, to Leonardo da Vinci, to countless modern artists - they are materials which span generations. To protect the environment and emulate these traditional methods, we ‘cook’ our charcoal pieces on a campfire in small batches and we do not dig for our chalk - we collect it where pieces naturally emerge from the ground after heavy rains.
Who is part of your team?
We are a husband and wife team - it’s just the two of us… although our cat, Pudding, often likes to oversee operations as if she’s the boss. Nick is a small business owner and Coral is an artist specialising in the local area, although a lot of our time is now spent focusing on Willow & Chalk. We’re really excited about what we have created.
What are your plans for the future?
We’re looking forward to reaching more artists and launching further products in the near future, including charcoal and chalk powders. Our goal is to remain completely hand-made and sustainable - the important thing is that our willow charcoal and chalk retains its local and pure credentials, as that’s what makes them such a joy to use. The importance of protecting nature - especially here in the beautiful part of the UK - is a cornerstone of this business.
What’s the best thing about the area you live in?
The abundance of wildlife here is hard to beat. We can be outside stripping willow bark or sanding chalk pieces, and see a variety of animals making their way through the garden including otters, frogs, ducks, deer, hedgehogs and squirrels. Our resident muntjac deer likes to come out and nibble at the surplus willow leaves - he’s become quite comfortable with our presence. It’s idyllic at the right time of year!
