Blog

Introducing FermentingEurope.com, our sister company located in Poland.  The website is now up and ready to take orders for customers throughout Europe! 

Ever since we launched 4 years ago, we have had requests to ship our products internationally.  It didn't make financial or environmental sense to import our products from Poland to the US, only to then turn around and ship them back to customers in Europe.  So instead, we looked at opening a company in Europe to ship our products direct from Poland.

It's been a long process as we wade through the regulations for ecommerce in the EU, but we are happy to say the website has finally launched!  One of the main things we worked on last week during Inventory Week was to get this website ready to go.  There are still many tweaks to work out, but the website is launched and ready for customers!

You won't find all of our products available at this time as our sister company is focusing on our popular and unique fermenting crocks.  And of course, the most requested item is available - our exclusive US Patent Pending Luna Glass Crock Weights!

So if you're in Europe and have been long waiting to buy our products, head on over to FermentingEurope.com and check it out!

Our annual Inventory Week is almost here!  During this time, we won't be shipping out any orders.  It can get very busy here at Stone Creek Trading, and we sometimes need to take a short break from shipping out orders so that we can focus on all the other important aspects of our business. 

Orders placed after 6pm on Tuesday, April 25 through Friday May 5, will begin shipping out on Monday, May 8 in the order they were received.  You will be able to place your order during this time, but the normal 1-2 day processing times will not apply.  Customer service will be available, but response times will be longer and limited to time sensitive matters.

We will be back to normal business operations with order shipping and customer service starting on Monday, May 8.  So if you have a product you've been eyeing, I suggest ordering before April 25 to avoid delays!

Four years ago on April 17, we launched this website.  In celebration, we are offering 25% off our signature product - the Luna Glass Crock Weights.  For four days only, April 14 - 17, 2017, enter the code "SCT4years" at checkout to receive 25% (or 1/4!) off the price of our patent pending Luna Glass Crock Weights!

When we started this business in 2013, both of us were working full time in other jobs.  Everyday, we were gone for 11 hours a day, including some weekends.  We knew it wasn't the life we wanted for ourselves or our daughter.  In January of 2013, we came up with the idea to import fermenting crocks from Poland and sell them online.  Our first shipment, 1 pallet of Boleslawiec crocks, arrived in February and we spent the next two months doing all the leg work to get the business and website up and running. 

And now here we are 4 years later with a successful business that allows us to spend more time together as a family while doing something that we love!  After a year in business we realized that the standard ceramic fermenting weights needed some improvements.  When we couldn't find an alternative that met our needs, we designed one ourselves!  Which led to the introduction of our Patent Pending Luna Glass Crock Weights at the end of 2014. 

The Luna Glass Crock Weights have been very popular and are what set us apart in the fermenting world.  So we thought what better way to celebrate our anniversary than to offer a rare sale on the glass weights!  These prices are cheaper than the Factory Second Luna Glass Crock Weights, without any blemishes! 

The discount code - SCT4years - must be entered at checkout to receive this offer.  The code will take 25% off the price of the Luna Glass Crock Weights only, it is not applicable on any other products including the Factory Second Luna Glass Crock Weights.  All 4 sizes - 5.5", 6.5", 7.5" and 8.5" - are eligible for this discount.  The code is valid for 4 days only - April 13 - April 17, 2017.  It is not applicable on previous sales. 

If you have been a customer of ours before, you will know that we have never offered this big of a discount on our products.  I can guarantee this is the lowest price we will ever offer - so if you've been on the fence about buying the Luna Glass Crock Weights, the time is now! 

We've got some exciting new products we want to share with you!  We are always on the lookout for new items that fit in with our requirements -

    1.  Made in Poland by a small producer/artisan

    2.  All natural - no plastics

    3.  Traditional home products with a modern aesthetic  

Check out the newest items we recently added -

Stone Creek Trading Fermenting Crock, 2.5L

I am so excited about this crock!  It's the perfect size for small batch fermenting, great for trying out new recipes or when you are fermenting for just yourself!  The small size also means it's easy to handle and move around, plus it doesn't take up a bunch of room in your kitchen!  It's also the smallest crock we have that our 5.5" Luna Glass Crock Weights fit in.  The glaze is incredibly smooth - as nice as the finish on the new Boleslawiec crocks.

And like all of our crocks, it's made in Poland by a small ceramic studio!  But of course, the fact that it has our company name right there on the crock is my favorite part!

Artisan Garlic Keeper Crock

I love our Garlic Keeper Crocks!  I never felt like I was storing my garlic correctly until we started using one of these.  The enclosed space provides the darkness the garlic needs to prevent sprouting, but the holes in the side allow air circulation to discourage mold.  Now you can keep garlic on the countertop where it belongs and have it look great!

Cherry Wood Utensils

Our Cherry Wood Utensils were very popular when we first listed them last Fall.  We found these last spring when we were in Poland scouting for new products!  Since our customers liked them so much, we've expanded what we offer.  Go check out the listing to see new options of spoons and spatulas made from beautiful Cherry Wood!

Wood Trivet

These wood trivets are another product we found while visiting Poland.  We introduced the square wood trivet in the Fall, and now we have added a round one as well.  Beautiful and functional is what our products are all about!

So which one of our new products are you going to order first??

January has been a cold and quiet month here at Stone Creek Trading.  But after how busy we were in December, we needed some downtime! 

Thanks to all our customers who purchased products from us - we sold out faster than ever before!  On November 21, we received a small container which restocked us for the holiday season.  We actually thought our July container would have lasted through the year, but we ended up needed one more in November.  And thanks to our customers, the November container sold in just 6 weeks!

It has been wonderful to see that fermenting is becoming more popular, but it's also hard to be out of stock!  Luckily, January and February are typically slow months anyway.  We normally have over 30 varieties of fermenting crocks, but last week we were down to just 4 options in stock!

Thankfully, our container arrived yesterday afternoon and we are now back in stock!  We imported a large container this time, so hopefully it will last us longer.  Plus, this shipment was the quickest one yet.  While it typically takes 6-8 weeks in transit to reach us from Poland, this container left on Jan. 20 and arrived on Feb. 15!

We have lots of reasons to celebrate over here as we are now back to being very busy getting everything organized and updated on the website!  Stay tuned for new products coming over the next month as we get them posted.

We now have shipping options for customers outside the US!  Since we first launched in 2013, customers have been requesting international shipping options.  As a small family business, we have only been able to keep up with the demand here in the United States.  But, we have been looking for the right opportunity to allow us to expand into other countries, and we believe we have finally found it!

Canada -  www.fermentingforlife.com

This new company is the exclusive supplier of our products in Canada.  They are working hard to launch very soon, so be sure to sign up on their website to be notified as soon as they do! 

I have been working with Jamie at Fermenting for Life for the last 6 weeks to get them launched. It was important to us to find a company that would match our business model of honest, straight forward and customer centered practices and I think we finally did!  You can also email info@fermentingforlife.com with any questions!

Europe/Australia -email emily@stonecreektrading.com

We are now accepting custom orders to ship direct from Poland to customers in Europe and Australia.  Shipping fees will be custom calculated for each order.  Please email emily@stonecreektrading.com with what you wish to purchase and your shipping address to begin the process.

We have been trying to launch a sister company in Europe for almost a year now.  There were many different regulations and restrictions that needed to be sorted through, but it looks like we are finally ready to start taking orders.  We hope to have a separate website specifically for customers in the EU launching in early 2017.  My father-in-law who handles our operations in Poland will be running our European sister company.  He already sources, packs and ships all our products to us here in the United States.  So now he will be keeping some stock for himself in Poland to ship direct to our European customers!

Both of these opportunities will open up our products to more customers, which is something we hear a lot of requests for!  Hopefully you are as excited about it as we are!

It's hard to believe, but there is only a few weeks left to get your orders in if you want to receive them in time for Christmas!  When it comes to online shopping one of the most important factors is how long items will take to ship.  As always, we strive for fast efficient shipping.  We only offer products on our website which are in stock and ready to ship. 

So when do you need to order by to make sure you have it before Christmas?  This year's magic cutoff date is 12pm CST on December 18, 2016.  All orders place before that time will arrive by December 24, 2016.

As always, orders ship within 1-2 business days after your order is placed.  Orders placed after 5pm on Thursday through 5pm Sunday typically ship on Monday.  Shipping times vary based on your location.  We are located in the Chicago suburbs.  Small items are typically shipped USPS Priority Mail while larger items & orders are shipped via UPS Ground.  UPS does not deliver or accept packages on Saturday or Sunday. 

See below for typical shipping schedules.

Location           Processing Time      Shipping Time     Total Shipping/Processing

Midwest              1-2 days                     1-2 days               1-4 days

East Coast          1-2 days                     2-3 days               2-5 days

West Coast          1-2 days                    3-5 days                3-7 days

If you miss the cut off for holiday shipping or need your order sooner, email emily@stonecreektrading.com to discuss expedited shipping options including overnight and 2-day shipping.  Please be aware that expedited shipping on crocks is quite expensive ($70+) due to the weight of the crocks. 

And as always, you can email Emily with any questions or custom order requests.  As a small family business, we are happy to work with you when special circumstances arise!

Happy Holidays!