ABOUT BEAN AND BEMBLE

Bean and Bemble was founded in 2020 by Michelle Dodds, a surface pattern and print designer from Yorkshire, England.  The business and this website officially launched in May 2021 when Michelle held a very successful pop up shop in John Lewis, Leeds.

With a love for beautifully designed interiors and everyday objects, Michelle's unique style blends intricate hand drawn illustrations and a passion for clean and precise digital graphics to create bright, uplifting and modern design collections, all lovingly created in her Brighouse studio.

At Bean and Bemble, our mission is to inspire unique interiors and allow you to bring the joyful colour that we believe can make a house a home.  We are proud that all of our products are handmade in the UK, sourced from suppliers who share our values for meticulous attention to detail, high quality craftsmanship and materials, and sustainable processes.

MEET THE DESIGNER

Hi! I’m Michelle, I live in the little town of Brighouse with my equally creative husband, our two lovely children (who’s nicknames just happen to be Bean and Bemble) and our crazy rescue dog we brought to the UK from Qatar. My illustrations and designs are inspired by my love of animals, nature, striking products and gorgeous packaging.  I love interior design and enjoy creating a beautiful yet practical family home.

As the proud owner of a first class honours degree in Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design, this new venture was founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdowns.  It represents the culmination of months of hard work, combined with years of frustration and a strong desire to (finally!) use my degree and years of experience to create something truly fabulous. My design collections blend intricate hand drawn illustrations with a passion for clean, precise digital graphics to create bright, colourful, uplifting designs, applied to beautiful yet useful household products.

After returning home from 7 years living in the Middle East and previously working for several multi-national companies which involved much travel, I realised how passionate I felt about producing items that are of the highest quality, use the finest materials; and most importantly are lovingly and sustainably made in ONLY British factories.

I have always been a firm believer that you really do “get what you pay for”. With this in mind, all Bean and Bemble products are intended to be treasured and last a lifetime.

BRITISH MANUFACTURE

WE PROUDLY SUPPORT BRITISH MANUFACTURING

We are very proud to say we use UK manufactures for all our products.  We wholeheartedly support UK manufacturing and feel that the finish and quality speaks for itself. We ensure that each and every piece is made ethically, in premium materials, always aiming to minimise our impact on the environment.

WHY BUY BRITISH?

The act of buying British goods is great news for the UK economy. When you buy British, you are investing in skilled craftsmanship that has been handed down through the generations, whilst helping to secure the future for British manufacturers.

When you buy something made in Britain, you are typically buying a skilfully manufactured product that has well and truly been built to last. Although British goods can be more expensive than foreign imports, we feel that British made products have an extra level of quality that you would often struggle to find in products made overseas.


All our manufacturers strive to use materials sourced as close to the UK as they can, aiming to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible.

OUR IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

WHAT’S A CARBON FOOTPRINT?

A carbon footprint is defined as “The amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organisation, or community”
UK manufacturing laws are in line with saving the environment, and goods    manufactured on home soil often have a significantly lower carbon footprint than those mass produced in countries abroad such as China and India. Although we might not see much of a difference now, our grandchildren will certainly be glad we all invested in British made goods in the years to come. After all, UK made goods do not need to be transported half way across the world!

OUR MELAMINE PRODUCTS

For our melamine range of products; which currently includes coasters, placemats and cutting boards, our manufacturers use a sustainably forested Eucalyptus Board which is 100% PEFC certified and 100% formaldehyde free.  This ensures we provide the needs of the present, without compromising the needs of the future.  The cork used on the back of our placemats and coasters is also sustainably farmed in Portugal. All of our materials are sourced as close to the UK as possible, aiming to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible.

Rejects and off cuts are used to fuel a local power station, instead of using coal power.  Wood dust goes towards compost.  The backing paper on the cork is used in packing goods for despatch.

OUR TEXTILE PRODUCTS

Our UK based textile manufacturer take their environmental responsibility very seriously and do everything they can to reduce waste and keep production clean.  The reactive inks used not only allow us to achieve vibrant colours that jump off the shelf, they also boast superior rub and wash fastness and conform to Oeko-Tex standard 100, meaning they contain no harmful chemicals.  Additionally, we are certain that all of the materials used in the production of these inks are synthetic; they do not contain any animal products and have not been tested on animals.

Our 100% cotton fabrics are sourced direct from a BCI registered mill in Pakistan. BCI stands for "Better Cotton Initiative" promoting sustainability, environmental and ethical practices as well as soil sustainability.  As part of the digital printing process, fabrics are washed at up to 70 degrees to remove any preparation solution and unfixed dyes.  The waste water is then processed through an effluent plant and released back to public water treatment processing plants.

You may notice that some, but not all of our products are Organic Cotton. We are making the switch to all Organic textiles, this may take some time but we feel it is an excellent choice and something our customers will appreciate.

PAPER PRODUCTS AND OUR PACKAGING

Our greeting card manufacturer are proud to be a zero to landfill site. 95% of waste is manufactured back into recycled products and the remaining 5% is converted into Refuse Derived Fuel.

Bean and Bemble products will be supplied to you beautifully packaged with our branded belly band, swing tags, label or box, ready for your customers to purchase.  We ensure packaging is kept to a minimum without compromising on style, and always use recyclable paper and card for our postal packing materials.

All our branded packaging is manufactured right here in the UK too, including the compostable cellophane sleeves we use for our greeting cards to offer protection from fingerprints.  If you would prefer your cards to be supplied without sleeves, please just let us know.  We always try to source our packaging as close to home as possible.  Orders will usually be sent out in plain brown packaging - yes it isn't as glamorous as we'd like, but it's much easier to recycle!  We even use brown paper parcel tape instead of plastic to seal the package!

As a small business, we look for innovative solutions to help us reduce waste, like reusing supplier shipping boxes for wholesale or larger orders - so we're sorry if your order arrives looking a little battered ;) we promise the contents will be totally gorgeous!