This is a copy Wooden Banana newsletter that Mark, our founder, sends to all Wooden Banana family members. Want to to join the Family. Sing up at the bottom of this page.
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If you’re reading this, there’s a great possibility that you’re a photographer ( or a videographer ). That means you work 20, 30 or maybe 40 days every year and make lots of money, right? Of course, not. Taking photos is only a small part of your job, and most of the time being a photographer means you don’t even touch your cameras.
It’s the same with packaging. I possess a set of DIY skills that pretty much limit me from being a “battery remote changer”, but let’s assume yours are better. You could go to the nearest DIY store, buy some timber, adhesive and make a box for a few bucks. You could also go to eBay or Alibaba and the price would probably be the same. So how come our boxes cost an average of £15-20 if you buy a bundle? It’s a two -way answer.
One: Here comes the bold statement. Our boxes are better! Yes, they are better. We don’t just put a few pieces of cheap pine wood together. We use high-quality alder wood to start with, then we dry it, cut it, glue it, polish it, brush it, stain it and store it for at least few weeks before the box is personalised. In short, we go bananas on quality and each box goes through at least six different highly skilled pairs of hands before it’s posted.
Two: Manufacturing is only a small part of what we do. If making boxes is what keeps us busy, being part of our community is what keeps us motivated. We comment on your images on Instagram to let you know we love your work and share it on our feed. We give away vouchers, cameras and our products in different contests. We have an in-house photographer who keeps taking photos of our products to keep you inspired. We go to events to meet you. We throw a party after every Way Up North that’s slowly becoming legendary (if you have never been to any of our parties, you’ve got to ask someone). We write newsletters like this one (even if it obvious we’re better at making boxes than writing newsletters ) and do different things to make everyone involved excited, including you.
Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you because open communication should be at the core of every relationship, and the purpose of this newsletter (and soon our blog and podcast) is to have a conversation.