YOUR MAIN QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q. HJ Berry seem like a great company, with a long heritage, a super range and fine eco-credentials, does this mean I will have to pay more?
A. No! We regularly check our prices against similar products and services available from alternative suppliers. When the level of service, product quality, options and delivery are considered, HJ Berry compares more than favourably with any of them. Added to this we have a flexible pricing policy that takes into account all the factors surrounding any potential order to give - 'THAT DAY'S BEST PRICE'. If you have been given a price for a comparable product and service to ours from another supplier, it is more than likely that we will be able to match it. There is nothing like getting the best price possible and hearing the peace of mind that comes with buying a product from a company with 160 years of experience and eco-credentials to match.
Q. Often you hear that products are 'made in Britain' when really most of the work is done somewhere else far away. Are Berry's products really made in Britain?
A. Yes! We actually start with the log or the 'planted' tree and carry on from there doing all the production processes required ourselves, on site in Chipping and Forton, Lancashire using local people. Locally we are known as "the woodentops" and though we might speak with an accent no one else can understand, we do know how to make good, solid chairs and tables that look good and last.
Q. How can you really say that you are eco-friendly, is this not just "greenwash"?
A. We have a firm belief that the only business for the future will be green business (and we have been green for 150 years). For us it means using only timber from local, renewable sources (Britain mainly and northern Europe when necessary), from woodlands that are managed in perpetuity. It means getting all our electricity from a green supplier, all our heat from our own off cuts and wood waste (carbon neutral heating) and avoiding the use of globally-warming processes and products whenever possible. We do not use any gas and for a couple of years we have been trialing running our delivery fleet on bio-diesel. We continually seek ways to further improve our eco-performance and increase our beneficial impact on the environment - we have planted over 20,000 trees in the last couple of years on the 20-30 acres of land that we own. These trees were of locally provenanced seed, of seventeen different local species. The trees are complimented by several ponds, a mill pond and a local brook. Our site in all is a wonderful haven for many dozens of different species of birds, mammals (including lots of bats), amphibians and insects. Amongst the many favourites are dippers and sea trout in the brook, rudd and brown trout in the mill pond, Daubeuton's bats, five different species of dragonfly, a dozen different species of butterfly (at least), an abundance of wildflowers, some of which are quite rare and a huge population of toads and frogs.
