William Bunbury, Bunbury Boards This is uploaded via the Near Future Slideshare account to make it publicly available and follows on from Keith Bohanna, one of our principals, putting the panel of this Enterprise Ireland event together. William talked through the evolution of his online presence and the power of his backstory when selling his timber chopping boards.

1. Bunbury Boards
Fourth time lucky?

8. Lisnavagh Estate - Location
Lisnavagh,
Rathvilly,
Co Carlow

9. Lisnavagh House & Gardens

10. Estate
Cottages

11. The Farmyard

12. Grazing Land

13. Tillage Land

14. Managed Hardwood Woodlands

15. Everything has a life span…

16. The Lisnavagh Timber Project
• Created in 2001
• To add value to fallen trees
• Plank and dry hardwood timber
• Sales to furniture makers

22. Sources of timber
 Lisnavagh’s woodlands
 Windblown trees
 Thinned trees
 (Later) Other sources within the
island of Ireland
 CLEAR CONSCIENCE TIMBER

23. Select the best timber

25. Employ the best professionals

37. Air Drying
 1” thick = 1 year
 2” thick = 2 years
 3” thick = 3 years
 Etc.
 Until moisture content = c.20%

39. Kiln Drying
 Arrowsmiths dehumidifier “kilns”
 For example:
 1” oak = c. 2 weeks
 2” oak = c. 5 weeks
 35°C to 40°C
 Approx. 1 litre per cu ft. of timber is
extracted
 Moisture Content = 10%

43. Workshop
 Original workshop built 2004
 Kitchen worktops
 Bookshelves
 Mantelpieces
 Tables
 Basic joinery
 School projects

45. Bookshelves

46. Kitchen Units and Worktops

47. Mantelpieces & corbels

48. Tables
&
benches

49. The next step…?
 The business needed a
“product”…………………………………………
……… a high end product?

50. The Bunbury Board
 Prototypes in Spring of 2008
 Launched in August 2008

51. A Chopping Board… But, will it sell??? A bit of wood with string on it…

52. Better dressed…

53. www.bunburyboards.com
 Designed to impress retailers
 Customer’s Tree Reports

57. Don’t be TOO clever!

66. New workshop in 2010

69. Sales
 Mainly retailers
 Ireland
 UK
 USA & Canada
 (Iceland, Holland, Japan, Germany,
etc.)
 Restaurants
 Cook shops/schools
 Online sales

76. Thank you.