Highland Heritage Woodworks

What Highland Heritage Woodworks does

Highland Heritage Woodworks Ltd. is a vertically integrated Scottish sawmill and bespoke joinery business headquartered in Aberdeenshire and operating from a purpose-built facility on the Dunecht Estate. The company runs a fully in-house timber production chain centred on an electric Mebor wide band horizontal sawmill (capable of handling logs up to 1.2m in diameter and 9m long) and an 80m³ SECAL automated drying kiln heated by a biomass boiler fuelled by the company's own sawdust and offcuts, with all electricity drawn from a 100% renewable tariff. Raw material is exclusively Scottish-grown timber (Douglas fir, Scots pine, oak, elm, ash, beech, larch) sourced under FSC, PEFC, and Grown in Britain certifications, with full forest-to-customer traceability.

The business is organised around three core product pillars: precision-cut lumber, post-and-beam structural frames for residential and heritage restoration projects, and bespoke joinery (front doors, staircases, hotel cabinetry, gates, and table tops). It is also developing two newer lines — urban street furniture (benches, bollards, planters, bike racks) for local authorities, and mass timber / CLT components for low-carbon construction. Eco-cabins form an additional adjacent product. Revenue is generated through direct, relationship-based project sales on a bespoke quote basis to architects and specifiers, construction companies, property owners, hospitality operators, and public-sector buyers; no public pricing, e-commerce, or intermediated channel is in use.

The company is founder-led (CEO Guy Phillips, ex-BP geologist; Operations Director Armands Balams, RTU Riga-trained carpenter), with a CFO appointed in 2024 (Will Inglis, ex-PE adviser) and 10 full-time staff as of 2025. Capital has come from a combination of founder investment (including 18 months without wages), grants from Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Forestry, support from Opportunity North East, and a loan from the Energy Saving Trust. The company has reported 35% year-on-year growth and stated ambitions to triple revenue and double headcount over the following 12 months.

Name

Highland Heritage Woodworks

Legal name

Highland Heritage Woodworks Ltd.

Website

https://woodworks.scot

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Highland Heritage Woodworks is a vertically integrated Scottish sawmill and bespoke joinery business producing precision-cut timber, post-and-beam structures, and custom doors and staircases for architects, construction firms, hospitality, and public-sector buyers using FSC- and PEFC-certified Scottish timber.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sawmill and Timber Products

NAICS

Sawmills (321113), Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing (321912), Wood Window and Door Manufacturing (321911), Engineered Wood Member Manufacturing (321215)

SIC

Sawmills & Planting Mills, General (2421), Millwood, Veneer, Plywood, & Structural Wood Members (2430), Prefabricated Wood Bldgs & Components (2452)

akta.pro primary industry

Sawmilling & Lumber Production (IMADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wood Remanufacturing (Mouldings, Millwork Blanks, Cut Stock) (IMAMABAI), Planing Mills & Lumber Surfacing (IMAMABAE), Hardwood Lumber Sawmills (IMAMABAB), Softwood Lumber Sawmills (IMAMABAA)

Keywords

• Sawmill timber processing
• Bespoke joinery products
• Post and beam structures
• Precision-cut lumber
• Mass timber components

Headquarters

HQ city

Aberdeen

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Precision-Cut Lumber / Timber Products: Sale of high-quality, precision-cut lumber milled from Scottish-grown timber (Douglas fir, Scots Pine, Oak, Elm, Ash, Beech, Larch, and others). Products include structural timber, hardwoods, and specialty cuts. Timber is traceable from forest to customer. Revenue from mass timber components, CLT elements, and oversized-section logs prized for character.
2. Bespoke Joinery and Carpentry: Custom-designed and crafted joinery products including front doors (Doors of Edinburgh style), staircases, hotel refits and cabinets, gates, and table tops. Merges traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques. High-margin, project-based revenue.
3. Post and Beam Structures: Design, fabrication, and supply of post and beam structural frames for houses and historic building restoration. Includes pre-made components and full kits for roofs and timber frame projects.
4. Eco-Cabins: Design and build of bespoke eco-friendly cabins that blend seamlessly into the countryside, using sustainable Scottish timber.
5. Urban Street Furniture: Developing and supplying urban street furniture (benches, bollards, planters, bike racks) made from Scottish-grown Douglas fir. Early-stage product line targeting public sector and commercial buyers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Highland Heritage Woodworks is a Scottish sawmill and bespoke carpentry business that processes locally sourced Scottish-grown timber (Douglas fir, Scots Pine, Oak, Elm, Ash, Beech, Larch) into precision-cut lumber, post and beam structural frames, and bespoke joinery products such as doors, staircases, hotel cabinetry, gates, and table tops. The company operates an electric Mebor wide band horizontal sawmill and an 80m3 SECAL biomass kiln running on renewable energy, enabling full in-house control from forest to finished product.

Product overview

Highland Heritage Woodworks operates as a master carpentry, sawmill, and cabin design/build business organized around three core pillars: bespoke carpentry joinery products (front doors, staircases, hotel refits, gates, table tops), post and beam structural components, and precision-cut lumber from their on-site sawmill. The company is developing new product lines including urban street furniture (benches, bollards, planters, bike racks) and mass timber/CLT components for low-carbon construction. All products utilize locally sourced Scottish timber processed through their Mebor electric sawmill and SECAL drying kiln.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bespoke Joinery Products Custom-crafted joinery products including front doors, staircases, hotel refits and cabinets, gates, and table tops, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern precision techniques. Built for property owners, hospitality operators, and developers.
• Post and Beam Structures Structural timber frames made from Scottish softwoods like Douglas Fir and Scots Pine, suitable for residential and commercial timber frame construction, including historic building restoration. Supplied as components or full kits for roofs and timber frame projects.
• From the Mill (Precision Cut Lumber) High-quality, sustainably sourced Scottish timber including larch, Douglas fir, beech, ash, oak, Scots Pine, Elm, and native species, processed through precision milling on the Mebor electric sawmill and dried in-house in the SECAL biomass kiln. Includes structural timber, hardwoods, specialty cuts, and oversized-section logs prized for character.
• Urban Street Furniture Developing line of street furniture including benches, bollards, planters, and bike racks made from Scottish-grown Douglas fir, with full traceability and sustainable design. Targeted at local authorities and public sector buyers.
• Mass Timber and CLT Components Cross-laminated timber (CLT) and structural mass timber components for low-carbon construction, utilizing local Scottish timber supply and on-site milling and drying capabilities.
• Eco-Friendly Cabins Design and build of bespoke eco-friendly cabins and outdoor structures that blend into the countryside using sustainable Scottish timber. Targeted at customers seeking bespoke outdoor living structures.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35% year-on-year revenue growth achieved over recent years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Business GatewaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Business Gateway provided solid strategic advice to Highland Heritage Woodworks and helped the founders think through strategy. They continue to provide advisory support. Business Gateway is Scotland's national business support service.
• Recycl8 LtdminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2023Recycl8 Ltd supplied recycled concrete for use in the sawmill facility fit-out, part of HHW's commitment to lowest carbon solutions in construction. Recycl8 produces concrete products from recycled materials.
• SECALcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSECAL supplied the 80m3 automated kiln drying system for the sawmill. The kiln system was chosen to complement the mill output and provide a competitive advantage. SECAL is a specialist kiln system manufacturer.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Russwood: Russwood is a Scotland-based specialist timber supplier focused on Scottish-grown hardwood and softwood, with cladding, decking, flooring, and structural timber offerings plus bespoke joinery. Like HHW, it leans on Scottish provenance, sustainability certifications, and direct-to-architect/specifier sales; competes in the same geography.
• Vastern Timber: Vastern Timber is a UK sustainable timber specialist supplying FSC-certified English-grown timber with full chain-of-custody traceability to architects, builders, and self-builders. It is HHW's closest analogue in ethos (certified local timber, sustainability focus, niche-scale millwork) and competes head-to-head in the specifier/architect segment.

Regional players

• International Timber: International Timber (a Premier Forest Products brand) is a major UK timber distributor importing and supplying hardwood, softwood, panel products, and modified timber. Comparable on the distribution and wholesale lumber supply side, though focused on import sourcing rather than domestic milling.
• Covers Timber: Covers Timber is a UK timber merchant supplying hardwood, softwood, cladding, and decking to builders and the public via multiple yards. Comparable on the merchant/supplier dimension to builders and self-builders, but operates at merchant scale rather than integrated milling-plus-joinery.
• Taylor Maxwell: Taylor Maxwell is one of the UK's leading independent timber distribution businesses supplying imported and homegrown timber, cladding, and engineered wood to merchants and contractors. It competes with HHW in supplying architects and builders but is a merchant/distributor rather than a mill processor.

Broad incumbents

• BSW Timber: BSW Timber is the UK's largest integrated sawmilling and timber group, operating multiple sawmills across the UK and Ireland. As the broad incumbent, BSW sets benchmark domestic sawmilling economics, holds FSC/PEFC certifications at scale, and competes with HHW for large construction orders and merchant supply contracts.
• Glennon Brothers: Glennon Brothers is an Ireland/UK sawmilling and timber-processing group with multiple sites, producing sawn timber, pellets, and panel products. Their cross-border UK/Ireland footprint and certified-sustainable positioning make them a relevant comparable incumbent to HHW's UK production model.
• James Jones & Sons: James Jones & Sons is a fourth-generation Scottish sawmilling and timber engineering group producing sawn timber, pallet wood, and engineered roof trusses. Established north-of-Scotland footprint and FSC/PEFC credentials overlap with HHW's territory; a benchmark incumbent for UK timber production economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highland-heritage-woodworks

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highland Heritage Woodworks