Birmingham-based Smith Bros was established 1927 but has recently seen a surge in interest in its wooden tea chests from interior designers and lifestyle gurus.
“With Elle Decoration, Habitat and leading design studios calling us to see if we could help them by supplying our tea chests, we knew the message that wood as a sustainable material was beginning to get through,” said managing director Harvey Smith.
“The public realise that buying a box, whether it’s for storage, moving house or packaging a gift, has an impact on the environment. A longer-life box means less energy and fewer materials used when compared to the purchase of umpteen throw away alternatives,” he added.