Following increased demand for larger sized chopping boards, Wild Oats Housewares (WOH!) is introducing its new Wild Wood benchtop boards.
Designed and developed over the last 12 months by husband and wife team, and founders of WOH!, Jane and Jonathan Mills, the boards have been a long time coming.
“We have been asked for larger sized chopping boards on a regular basis over the past two to three years and these requests have been steadily increasing,” explains Jonathan.
“When the pandemic hit in 2020 we saw a significant increase in requests for larger boards. This demand had been building prior to the pandemic, but increased significantly over the past year.”
To help him ascertain the viability of these larger boards Jonathan conducted some research to help him develop the boards and to make sure the demand was accurate.
Since the start of the pandemic there has been a 40 per cent surge in kitchen renovations (Houzz Study 2020 vs 2019) including benchtops, which ‘are the most common major feature to upgrade during kitchen renovations’ according to consumer responses.
“However, once the expensive new benchtop is installed consumers look for a way to protect that benchtop, but still want to have a way of showing the benchtop off.
“Many people who cook at home consider themselves ‘home chefs’, not just your run of the mill cook. They want to use high quality equipment to make their preparation task easier and to look good. This includes items such as cookware, kitchen knives, utensils as well as chopping boards,” he adds.
Indeed, there is currently a big focus on home entertaining and cooking which has only become more prominent with a rapid rise in the construction of new homes―there was a four per cent increase in 2019, with the November 2020 quarter recording 41.1 per cent growth, which is the strongest in a decade.
“All modern kitchens are built in an open style format which often flows into the living area, so it is important the benchtop and the utensils which sit on the benchtop work well and look great.
“This research demonstrates that ‘Home Chefs’ are looking for larger sized chopping boards to protect their benchtops and to use for preparing meals.”
Wild Wood benchtop boards are made using Acacia wood, a hardwood with a full grain finish which is warm and environmentally friendly. Acacia wood has a high end look due to its rich, vivid hues, which sets it apart from traditional boards. This attractive hardwood is also resilient to water and has antibacterial properties.
