Oversized for a proper brew
Handmade in southern India, the Cam mug from nkuku is fired in a simple brick kiln using wood fires. This process, coupled with the unusual reactive glaze, means every mug is completely unique with a creamy-coloured mottled finish over a darker base. And in a world where manufacturing is increasingly murky, trade doesn't come much fairer than this. nkuku are a small family business in based in Devon, and the Indian artisans who make these Cam mugs for them are working as part of a social responsibility project that provides employment and training to more than 40 people from disadvantaged backgrounds. We'll even give it yet another tick on the score sheet on account of its generous 350ml size. Everyone knows one cup of tea is never enough, but this one just might be...
- Oversized ceramic mug for a generous brew
- Reactive glaze gives a unique mottled effect
- Handmade and fired in wood-fuelled brick kilns
- Produced in India as part of a fairtrade project
- 350ml size
- Microwave and dishwasher safe
Material Ceramic Dishwasher safe Yes Microwave safe Yes Oven safe No Food safe Yes - Dimensions: 10 x 9 x 9 cm
- Capacity: 350 ml
- Weight: 500 g
- Global Certification -nkuku is a certified B-Corp, and hold the highest regard and respect for their employees, communities, and the environment.
- Charity partnership - nkuku are partnered with Frank Water who work to improve access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in India, Nepal and Kenya and alsoTil the Cost is Clear which is a Community Interest Company who focus on regeneration, working with local communities by clearing shorelines of plastic pollution
Like so many of the best things in life, nkuku began with an adventure. It was 2002, and Ali and Alex were on a round-the-world trip when they found themselves smitten with the artisan products they came across in East Africa. As they journeyed on through Africa and into India, they started shipping bits and bobs home with the plan to sell them when they got back.
Moving to rural Devon on their return, the couple set up a travelling market stall and when that took off, they started collaborating with a family they'd met in India to design and produce beautiful handcrafted homewares. In those early days, they operated out of an old hayloft on Dartmoor, packing orders late into the night while their baby daughter snoozed in a cardboard cot under a pile of coats.
Fast-forward 20-odd years and the business might have outgrown the market stall, but Ali and Alex are still working to the same three principles they started out with: striving to make their products ethical, eco-friendly and handmade. Manufacturing mostly in Asia, nkuku works with social projects, co-operatives, charity partners and small family firms, and they smashed their B-Corp certification right out of the park with a score of 96.4 (you only need 80 to make the grade). Closer to home, theyre also supporting initiatives to clear up plastic pollution on the south Devon coast. Theyre all-round good sorts, making beautiful handcrafted products.
