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It's finally here!  After many delays (mostly related to COVID-19), our shipment from Poland has arrived and we've restocked the website!  

As noted in our previous blog post, we had originally started working on this shipment of products back in February before the pandemic surged here in the United States.  Because we work with small businesses, our suppliers typically need about 2 months to custom make the items we order.  However, those timelines extended with stay at home orders shutting down most of Poland.  Some suppliers shut down indefinitely, luckily right after they delivered their products to our Polish facility!  Others weren't able to produce everything we ordered.

Almost done unloading! Of course it was the hottest day we've had this summer!

In the end, we had to ship the container with only a fraction of the products we had originally planned for.  In addition, some products weren't ordered at all as our current stock levels would have lasted several months during "normal" times!  So even though we just restocked the website, you will see that many items are still out of stock or may have already sold out.  Trust me, it's just as frustrating for us as it is for you!

So good to see this space filling up with products again!

The good news is we are already working on the next order, hopefully arriving at the end on the summer/early fall.  The timeline of the next shipment will depend a lot on how fast things sell right now.  So if you see something you want, order it now - before it sells out again!

We've had a lot of questions lately about when products will be restocked.  We have been working on a new shipment for several months, but the current global pandemic is making this process even more complicated than usual! 

We've seen a large increase in orders over the last month, which is wonderful - thank you!! But it also means that we are selling out of products even faster than anticipated.  I guess many of you have been using this extra time at home to expand or start a new fermenting hobby!

With all the new orders, we have some new customers here as well - welcome!  If you are new, you might not know that we operate differently than most other small e-commerce companies.  We self import all of the products we sell from small businesses in Poland.  Most of our artisans can't afford to export their products on their own, so we gather all the items together into one large shipment to make it more affordable.  To keep our prices low, we only import 2-3 large shipments each year.  All of this means that items are only restocked 2-3 times each year, instead of continuously like most websites.  It also means it might be several months before an item is restocked, and that most products will be restocked all at once.

Our artisans have been working over the last few months to manufacture the products we have ordered for the next shipment.  We originally had planned to have all the products completed by the end of this month and shipping out from Poland at the beginning of May.  On a typical schedule, this would have resulted in the products arriving at the end of May or beginning of June.

However, as everyone knows our world has been turned upside down over the last 6 weeks.  Poland is currently on lockdown, with activities limited to essential business only.  The borders are currently closed for travel, although it should not effect commercial shipping.  Like us, many of our artisans are small businesses who rely on selling their products to stay afloat.  With the travel restrictions currently in place, many of these companies are struggling to stay open without business from tourism.  We have already had two of our artisans who have decided to temporarily close for the remainder of the year after fulfilling our orders. 

Our facility in Poland* continues to work towards shipping out the products as soon as possible while putting the health of our workers and community first.  Many of the products are already in our possession, but we are still waiting on a few manufacturers to complete their orders.  We are doing our best to continue our normal shipment process as safely as possible.  However, the pandemic restrictions are resulting in a longer lead time for many of our artisans. 

For our part, we still anticipate being able to ship the container in May, it just might be a little later in the month than we had planned.  After that, it's really anyone's guess as to how long it will take to get here to the United States. Typical transit time from Poland to our facility in Illinois is 4-6 weeks.  The container travels by truck, train, ship, train and truck again before it gets to us, and also must clear customs in both Poland and the US.  If any one of those systems is impacted by COVID-19 it could cause delays.

If we've learned anything as small business owners it is that there are many things that we cannot control.  It's a lesson everyone is learning right now.  So if you want to know when we will be restocking the website all I can say is - as soon as we safely can!

*As a side note - As of now, Poland has been doing remarkably well as far as the spread of COVID-19.  They currently have much lower rates of infection and death than many other European nations.  As we have many family members living in Poland this is incredibly important to us personally.

What a strange time we are living in right now.  Things are changing by the day, and I don't know about you but I am feeling very overwhelmed with keeping up with all of it!

Here in Illinois, our governor has issued a "stay-at-home" order.  This means that we have been instructed to stay at home except for essentials.  We want to do our part to flatten the curve, so we are going to be scaling back our order shipping for at least the next two weeks.  We've been anticipating this announcement and making changes so that we do not have to completely stop order processing during this time.

We will continue to ship out orders as long as USPS and UPS are running.  However, we want to reduce our impact on these shipping companies is order to ensure that essential health, safety, and food related products have priority.  Therefore, we are anticipating longer processing times over the next few weeks.  We are planning on shipping out orders 1-2 times each week, rather than every day. 

If you would like to support our business, but don't need something right now, consider purchasing a Gift Card!  We now have gift cards available on the website in $10, $25, $50 or $100 denominations.  You can purchase a gift card for yourself, or send it to someone else!  You will receive a unique code to use for purchase on our website anytime.  Gift cards never expire, so you can take your time deciding what you want to purchase!

These are difficult times for so many people and businesses. Right now we consider ourselves lucky to have so many blessings and supportive customers that have purchased our products over the years.  Thank you for your continued support in helping us flatten the curve! Stay safe everyone!

We know everyone's inboxes are flooded right now with emails from companies explaining their response to COVID-19.  As a small family business, we rely on your orders to help keep our business running.  But we know that many people are concerned about the current global pandemic, as they should be.  We wanted to offer some information on our practices in case you are concerned about ordering from us at this time.  Most of these items are routine for our company, but now seems like a good time to remind our customers of the way things run around here!

1. All of our products are made in Poland. We work with small businesses in Poland, direct importing all the products we sell from the artisans who make them.  Our last shipment from Poland arrived in Fall 2019, which means all of our products were made prior to that. 
2. We do not use dropshippers.  All of our items come directly from Poland to our own facility.  We have full control of the supply chain and who comes in contact with our products from the moment it arrives in the US until it is shipped to our customers. 
3. We have been working over the last year to transition to a method of prepacking products for shipping in order to allow a more streamlined order packing process.  We did this primarily for our work flow, but in light of the current global concerns it has become a huge advantage.  Because items are already packed for shipping, we have minimal contact with the products themselves at this time.  For the majority of orders we are able to simply insert the packing list, tape the box closed and affix the shipping label without actually touching the products themselves.  We've been utilizing this method since August of 2019, and will continue for the foreseeable future.
4. We only have 2 people in our organization which are involved with the packing and shipping of orders, and because we work out of our own space we are able to practice social distancing while still preparing and shipping orders.  We are following CDC guidelines.
5. Our schools statewide are currently closed as a preemptive measure to slow the spread of the virus.  (We are in Illinois for those that don't know!)
6. Should anyone in our organization show signs of sickness or have knowledge of exposure to COVID-19 we will suspend order processing and shipping until the risk has passed.  We will update this information should any changes occur.

At this time we are able to prepare and ship orders with no impact to our typical processing times.  We have not been informed of any changes to UPS or USPS shipping procedures and therefore anticipate continuing to operate as normal for as long as that is an option.  As a small family business we are used to working from home, and count ourselves lucky to have little impact on our work lives because of COVID-19. 

This information will be updated should our situation change, which understandably is happening a lot at this time.  Stay safe everyone and if you find yourself with some free time at home, why not try fermenting to pass the time?

This summer while visiting Poland we had the opportunity to discover many new products at the Polish Folk Art Fair in Krakow.  The products I am most excited about are these beautiful hand cut Polish Papercut Wycinanki !  We sell many products featuring prints of this style of Folk Art, but this is the first time we have been able to find someone who still makes the authentic traditional layered paper version.  These Wycinanki are so beautiful and unique - we wanted to purchase every single item the artisan had in her booth!

I wish you could see these in products in person, because they truly are works of art!  We spent last weekend carefully taking photographs in an attempt to convey just how special these papercut designs are - so be sure to check out the product listings to see all the images.  I also included lots of historical information in the description if you're interested in learning more about this unique folk art craft.

Being a Polish American family, I'm always looking for ways to add more of our Polish heritage into our home here in the United States.  I cannot wait to frame the Wycinanki we picked out at the festival to add to our decor - and now you can do the same!  The papercut designs will also make wonderful gifts for those with Polish ancestry. 

I'm so excited to make these traditional Polish Papercut Wycinanki  more accessible so that everyone can purchase a small piece of Polish cultural history for their own homes!

The world of online shopping has made it so much easier to discover new and interesting products.  But, not being able to see items in person can make it hard to decide what product is right for you!  That's why many customers email asking for my opinion of the differences between some of our Fermenting Crocks.  Today I thought I'd share my observations comparing the Rustic and Boleslawiec Fermenting Crocks. 

There are several differences between the Rustic Crocks and the Boleslawiec Crocks, but here are the most noticeable -  

Clay

The Rustic Fermenting Crocks feature a dense clay with thick wall construction.  This makes the crock heavier to move around as well as helping to moderate temperature shifts in the environment.  Customers also report that these crocks seem to be less susceptible to barometric pressure changes.  In contrast, the Boleslawiec crocks have a thinner wall construction and a smoother clay.  The result is a crock that is lighter weight and therefore easier to move around.  

Glaze

The smoother clay on the Boleslawiec crocks also contributes to a smoother glaze finish.  In addition, the glaze on the Boleslawiec Crocks is a glossy finish.  The glaze on the Rustic Fermenting Crocks is more of a matte finish.  The denser clay on thh Rustic Crocks also leads to a rougher finish than the Boleslawiec Crocks. 

Shape

The handles on the Rustic Crocks are large, making it easier to move them around.  In addition, the shape is shorter and fatter than the Boleslawiec Crocks. 

Reputation

Boleslawiec is the most recognized Polish ceramics company in the world.  The Rustic Fermenting Crocks are made by a much smaller ceramics studio that is only know within Poland and Germany. 

Hopefully these comparisons help you understand our products a little better!

There is a chill to the air, the leaves are falling and we're hauling in the last of our garden harvests.  As the fall season sets in, we always like to bring out our collection of Mushroom Nutcrackers and a bowl of mixed nuts ready for shelling.  My children love to sit by our fireplace and shell the nuts while they nibble on their "rewards".  I love that they have a quiet activity to occupy their time, plus a nutritious snack all at the same time!  And what parent doesn't love a snack that your kids serve themselves!

While I love having nutcrackers around my house, they also make the perfect gift!  They are small and easy to keep on hand for those last minute situations, and their unique design and beauty mean that you never have to worry if the recipient already has one!  And with three different designs to choose from - Traditional Brown, Natural Heartwood or Red Toadstool - there's sure to be a Mushroom Nutcracker that even the most discerning giftee will love!

"He also liked a mushroom-like wooden nutcracker from Stone Creek Trading, which he thought resembled a porcini. "You can hold the top or the bottom to twist it together," he said. "That's nice, elegant and simple.""

In honor of our favorite fall product, our Mushroom Nutcrackers are on sale this week!  Now thru Sunday September 13, 2019 Buy 2 Mushroom Nutcrackers and get 1 for Free!  This discount is automatically applied at checkout, so simply add any 3 designs of our Mushroom Nutcrackers to your cart and the lowest price item will be free (no discount code needed).

You can use the discount up to 5 times (which would be a total of 15 nutcrackers for the price of 10!!) so now is the time to stock up for the holidays!

One discount per order - cannot be combined with other discounts.
Not applicable on Factory Second Nutcrackers.
Valid on in stock items only, no rainchecks.  Not valid on previous purchases.