IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEES 
Spoon butter came about from customers looking for a more natural based furniture polish to replace the traditional furniture polishes and aerosol polishes 
Customers were moving away from aerosols because of the propellant gases. Traditional furniture polishes your Granny might have used contained Turpentine. Turpentine has really good grease removing properties but it does give off a harsh smell, often covered up with robust scents like Lavender. It is also toxic if swallowed. 
 
 
I did some research and development and came up with a blend of Walnut Oil and Beeswax I call Spoon Butter. “Butter” for the texture and “Spoon” because it works really well on timber kitchen utensils. Wooden utensils like wooden spoons, spatula and cutting boards get a hard time. They get dunked in all manner of foods, oily, acidic and wet. Then washed using modern detergents and sometime even go through the dishwater. The drying cycle on a dishwasher is particularly hard on timber utensils. Unprotected utensils suffer from excess water or excess heat leading to the item splitting or failing before their time. 
Spoon Butter works by the oil penetrating the surface of the wood and being absorbed into the pores of the wood. There oil fills the pores so the water cannot. The beeswax becomes ingrained into the surface and acts as a barrier. With regular use the polished utensils are more water resistant. 
 
Once the item has been washed and dried the spoon butter is applied sparingly with a cloth. Utensils that are very dry from a tough life might need two or three applications to nourish the wood back a balanced state. Leave the utensil to soak up the oil for a few minutes then buff with a cloth. 
 
The qualities of beeswax speak for themselves. My beeswax come directly from my hives, is filtered three times and is never bleached. Walnut Oil is used as a health supplement and is supposed to be good for your skin, hair and memory. I leave you to decide upon the health merits. This polish not for taking internally. For centuries Walnut oil has been used in treating finished timber work. We just lost sight of it amongst all our modern polymer finishes. 
Spoon butter is a versatile product. My customers report using Spoon Butter on items other than kitchen utensils. It is often used on old or delicate furniture. Our centrally heated homes extract the moisture from timber making it brittle and dull. One chaps the polishes on his timber floors. He like a lustrous sheen rather than the high gloss finish of modern polymer polishes. Folks universally report the pleasant beeswax aroma that gently pervades the room. 
I supply a couple of knife makers with tiny tins of spoon butter. The polish goes in the care package to keep the handle of the knives in good condition.  
 
If that was not enough it makes a very good water repellent and nourishment for leather. I use it on my walking and work boots. A national leathercraft supplier sells it as a leather balm. 
 
Spoon Butter is available on at https://thebeefarmer.co.uk/webshop/polishes/ in 100ml tins. 
 
If you would like to talk to me about product development or providing white labelled products click HERE to contact me. 
 
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Tagged as: Case study, Misc, Products
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