The Bear Isle Board Company

What The Bear Isle Board Company does

The Bear Isle Board Company, operating as Bear Isle Boards, is a sole-proprietorship artisan business founded in 2014 by Jen Holsten that designs and sells handcrafted wooden serving boards, cutting boards, coasters, and related tabletop accessories. Products are built from domestic hardwoods (including Hard Maple, Tiger Maple, Birdseye Maple, Spalted Maple, Cherry, Walnut, and Curly Maple) sourced from small dealers in Northern New England committed to responsible forestry, with founder-collected imperfect boards and end-cuts from high-end furniture makers incorporated into finished pieces. Each board is finished through five to six sanding stages and treated with a combination of organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil; product designs are nature-inspired, with proprietary shapes such as the Sea Glass Heart derived from actual sea glass found on Casino Beach. The line spans 12+ SKUs priced from $30 (set of four coasters) to $128 (Meat Cleaver board), with most items in the $40-$60 range and a top-of-line Mamma Bear charcuterie board starting at $120.

The company makes money through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel (its Squarespace website shipping nationwide from South Portland, ME via USPS, FedEx, and UPS) and a wholesale channel distributing through 16+ specialty gift shops and home goods retailers across Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, including L.L.Bean Home Store in Freeport, ME. It also participates in craft and wholesale trade shows, having received Honorable Mention for Best New Product at the New England Made giftware and specialty food show in September 2019, and earned regional press placement including the Boston Globe Magazine Holiday Gift Guide (November 2020) and Decor Maine. Operations have consolidated around e-commerce and wholesale after the closure of the prior brick-and-mortar shop; the founder works from workshops on Peaks Island, ME in winter and on Hersey Island on Lake Cobbosseecontee in Winthrop, ME in warmer months, with the headcount reported at 1-10 employees and no outside institutional investment or parent company.

Name

The Bear Isle Board Company

Legal name

Bear Isle Board Co.

Website

https://bearisleboards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Bear Isle Board Company is a sole-proprietorship artisan business founded in 2014 that designs and handcrafts wooden serving boards, cutting boards, and coasters from domestic New England hardwoods, selling direct-to-consumer via its website and wholesale to 16+ specialty retailers across New England including L.L.Bean Home Store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

East Winthrop

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: One-time purchase model for handcrafted cutting and serving boards sold directly to consumers through their website. Products include various shapes (oval, rectangle, round, square) in multiple wood types with pricing from $30-$128.
2. Wholesale to Retailers: Wholesale distribution to gift shops, specialty stores, and home goods retailers across New England states. Products sold through 16+ retail locations including L.L.Bean Home Store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bear Isle Board Co. handcrafts wooden cutting boards, serving boards, charcuterie boards, coasters, drink flight boards, and related tabletop accessories in a small artisan workshop. Products are made from domestic hardwoods (Hard Maple, Tiger Maple, Birdseye Maple, Spalted Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Curly Maple) sourced from small dealers in Northern New England, finished with a combination of organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil, and sold direct-to-consumer via their Squarespace website and wholesale to gift shops and specialty retailers across New England.

Product overview

Bear Isle Board Co. is an artisan company that handcrafts cutting and serving boards from domestic wood species sourced from small dealers in Northern New England. The product portfolio centers on handcrafted wooden boards including various shapes (Oval, Rectangle, Square, Rounds, Flights, Short Handled Serving Board, French Bread Server, Meat Cleaver, Mamma Bear charcuterie board, Sea Glass Heart Serving Board, Hand-carved Heart Dish, Customizable State of Maine Board, and Set of Four Coasters). Products are crafted from hardwoods including Hard Maple, Tiger Maple, Birdseye Maple, Spalted Maple, Cherry, Walnut, and Curly Maple. The company finishes boards with organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil. Each board undergoes five to six sanding stages for an ultra-smooth finish. The company operates an e-commerce website and sells through select retail locations across New England.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oval Board Handcrafted oval cutting and serving board made from a single piece of wood to capture unique grain patterns. Available in small (10\" x 6.5\"), medium (12\" x 7.5\"), and large (15.25\" x 8.75\") sizes, approximately 3/4 inch thick, from $50.
• Mamma Bear Charcuterie Board Large and chunky charcuterie board, the company's largest display serving board. Crafted from curly maple or spalted maple in four sizes (Small 11.25\" x 9\" x 2\" through Extra-Large 29\" x 13\" x 2\"), from $120.
• Hand-carved Heart Dish Hand-carved and sanded heart-shaped vessel for displaying treasures. Available in walnut, birdseye maple, spalted maple, cherry, and tiger maple, priced at $45.
• Meat Cleaver Board Cutting board designed to resemble a butcher shop meat cleaver, with a large surface area and subtle offset handle. Measures approximately 7\" wide by 18\" long, priced at $128.
• Square Board Square cutting board with a subtly rounded profile. Measures 7\" x 7\", between 1/2\" and 3/4\" thick, priced at $40.
• Flights (Drink Serving Boards) Drink serving boards designed for bartenders. Available in Hard Maple, Tiger Maple, Birdseye Maple, Spalted Maple, Cherry, and Walnut, with compatible glassware including stemless martini glasses, beer glasses, whiskey snifters, shot glasses, and wine carafes, from $120.
• Customizable State of Maine Board Serving board shaped like the state of Maine with optional custom engraving, from $60.
• Sea Glass Heart Serving Board
• French Bread Server Board designed for serving bread on the table. Measures 5.5\" wide x 25\" long, priced at $118. Selected for the Boston Globe Magazine Holiday Gift Guide in November 2020.
• Short Handled Serving Board Serving board available in five sizes from Lemon-Limer (4\" x 13\") to Extra-Large (7\" x 23\"), approximately 3/4\" thick, from $48.
• Rectangle Board Rectangle cutting board with clean lines that draw attention to wood grain patterns. Available in Small (5\" x 12\"), Medium (6\" x 14\"), and Large (7\" x 16.5\") sizes, with or without hanger hole, from $40.
• Rounds Round cutting boards available in three sizes (9\", 10\", 11\") with or without hanger hole, approximately 3/4\" thick. Available in Hard Maple, Tiger Maple, Birdseye Maple, and Walnut, from $55.
• Set of Four Coasters Set of four coasters made from solid hardwood. Available in Cherry or Maple with optional logos (Lobster, State of Maine, Loon), priced at $30.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• L.L.Bean Home StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 August 2019As of August 2019, a selection of Bear Isle Boards products are available at the L.L.Bean Home Store location in Freeport, Maine (12 Nathan Nye Street). This represents a significant retail partnership for brand visibility.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Proteak: Wood cutting board maker specializing in sustainable, FSC-certified teak and other tropical hardwoods with a direct-to-consumer focus. Comparable as a sustainability-positioned premium wood cutting board brand.
• John Boos & Co. Established U.S. manufacturer of professional-grade butcher blocks, cutting boards, and kitchen workstations in wood. Comparable as a maker of handcrafted wood cutting and serving boards across consumer and foodservice segments.
• Totally Bamboo: Bamboo cutting board and kitchenware brand sold through major retailers and DTC. Comparable as a category peer offering wooden cutting boards at various price points with broad retail distribution.
• Virginia Boys Kitchens: Small-batch maker of handcrafted wood cutting and serving boards using domestic hardwoods, sold DTC online. Comparable as an artisan wood kitchenware brand at similar price points and scale.
• Larch Wood: Canadian maker of premium end-grain cutting boards from sustainably sourced larch wood. Comparable as a craft-driven, sustainability-positioned wood cutting board brand with premium pricing and DTC/wholesale channels.
• Berard: French producer of handcrafted olive wood cutting boards, serving boards, and kitchen utensils sold through specialty and gourmet retailers. Comparable as an artisan wood cutting board brand in the premium home goods category.
• Catskill Craftsmen: U.S. maker of hardwood kitchen carts, butcher blocks, cutting boards, and kitchen islands. Comparable as a domestic manufacturer of wooden kitchenware products serving consumer and small commercial markets.
• JK Adams & Co. Family-owned Vermont-based maker of handcrafted wooden cutting boards, cheese boards, and kitchen accessories using domestic hardwoods. Directly comparable as a New England artisan wood kitchenware brand with DTC e-commerce and wholesale distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Sur La Table: Premium U.S. kitchenware retailer with extensive wood cutting board assortment from multiple artisan and branded makers. Comparable as a wholesale channel and competitive retail destination for handcrafted wood kitchenware.
• Williams Sonoma: Premium U.S. kitchenware and home goods retailer carrying multiple wood cutting and serving board brands. Comparable as a distribution channel and competitive retail destination for premium handcrafted wood kitchenware.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-bear-isle-board-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 The Bear Isle Board Company