By TIM GOODWIN
Monitor staff
When John Dumond made handcrafted cutting boards for Christmas presents eight years ago, he never thought it would grow into a full-fledged business.
“It was a lean Christmas and I had been wanting to use some material,” Dumond said. “I made them for everybody, maybe seven or eight and one for my family.”
The material was Corian, and the finished product was something his family loved. They said he should sell them.
So that summer, he went to the Maine Potato Blossom Festival and made almost $500 the first day selling his Corian cutting boards. It slowly grew to where he went to more and more shows, fairs and festivals, which is how he met his wife, Cheryl. She was in charge of a show and also purchased stuff for her mother’s store, and three years ago, around the time they got married, they moved from Northern Maine to Newbury and created Forever Boards New England.
“It did kind of start as trying to make some money on the side, and then we just went with it,” Cheryl said.
“She knew what I had more than I did,” Dumond said.
The move made them more centrally located and “where we need to be to be able to run our business,” Cheryl said.
What started with Dumond selling three simple shapes has turned into a current catalog of 42 designs and close to 75 total that he’s made over the years. The boards come in the shape of dolphins, lighthouses and lobster claws. There’s the lobster bouy – which is the hardest to create with three separate pieces – hearts and a wedge of Swiss cheese.
“Every season we need to have something new,” Cheryl said.
There are of course traditional style cutting boards, with each one being made by Dumond in his Newbury home-based workshop. What is unique about the boards is that they’re made using 100 percent repurposed Corian. One of its main uses is for kitchen countertops, and typically it comes in large sections and needs to be cut to a specific size.
Likely the excess would be just thrown away, but Forever Boards works with sources around New England, Pennsylvania and New York to get material to make their cutting boards.
“They know they’re not going to use it, but they hold on to it because it costs money to get rid of,” Dumond said. “So we buy it back for a price, and it’s an ongoing process. Sometimes it takes us years to secure a source.”
“It’s amazing what gets put in a landfill these days,” Cheryl said. “So we’re hoping we can make a little difference in the New England area.”
And not only does it help reduce waste, but Corian is perfect for their products. It’s a solid surface material, non-porous, stain resistant and doesn’t retain bacteria like wood or plastic. It’s also repairable, so no need to worry about scratches because it can be resurfaced.
It’s really the driving force behind the company’s name.
“That’s why we call them Forever Boards, because they will truly last forever,” Cheryl said.
The couple still goes to trade shows and fairs, but has concentrated on the wholesale aspect of the business. They sell to businesses from Northern Maine to Vero Beach, Fla., with stores all across New England, like Marketplace New England in Concord, carrying their products. They don’t have a storefront themselves, but sell through their website, and will be at the Made in N.H. Expo at the DoubleTree by Hilton Expo Center in downtown Manchester, this Friday through Sunday.
The theme of this year’s event is “Try It & Buy It,” and the Dumonds are pretty sure once people try their cutting boards, they’ll want to buy one.
Even though they make a product that is meant to last forever, Cheryl said they get quite a bit of repeat business from customers either as gifts or for themselves – if the first purchase was for someone else. The busy season is fast approaching and that means long days in the shop for Dumond.
“Some mornings he’s out there at 7 and not in ’til 10 at night,” Cheryl said.
The Made in N.H. Expo will be held Friday, from 1 to 8 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors (65-plus), and $3 for children ages 2 to 12. Cost for children under age 2 using a stroller is $3.
For more information about Forever Boards, visit foreverboards.com. For expo info, visit facebook.com/MadeinNewEnglandExpo.