UNISON COLOUR PASTELS LIMITED

What UNISON COLOUR PASTELS LIMITED does

Unison Colour Pastels Limited is a UK-based, privately-held manufacturer of handmade soft pastels, founded by artist Sir John Hersey in approximately 1994 after more than a decade of formulation experimentation. The company produces soft pastels in its Northumberland facility (Unit 13 Vallum Farm, East Wallhouses) using a proprietary recipe built primarily on pure pigments and water, with no dyes or imitations, available in three formats — Half Stick (2.5cm), Small Stick (5cm) and Large Stick (7.3cm) — and a wide range of curated colours marketed for their blending, lightfastness (rated 7–8), and versatility across surfaces.

The business sells through three channels: direct-to-consumer e-commerce via its own website (worldwide shipping excluding Russia, free UK delivery over £100), wholesale distribution to art supply retailers and stockists under separate Trade Terms, and direct trade terms for approved Drawing Schools and Associate Artists. It also offers time-limited streaming tutorial videos and a free introductory pastel guide authored by Rebecca de Mendonça as a digital education layer. Pricing is unit-based, with curated 18-piece sets priced at £97.99 and individual sticks and sets available across categories such as Landscape, Portrait, Botanical, Heritage, Animal, and Starter.

Customer segments span professional and amateur artists (primary), Drawing Schools and art educators, and art supply retailers. Growth and engagement are driven by an Associate Artist program of professional ambassadors, an active 'Soft Pastelling' Facebook community, monthly 'Eyecatchers' showcases, segmented email newsletters, an annual 5 Day Pastel Challenge, and a content-led blog. The company holds ACMI AP and CL safety certifications tested by Duke University toxicologists and is operated independently with 11–50 employees and no external funding rounds or parent company disclosed.

Name

UNISON COLOUR PASTELS LIMITED

Legal name

Unison Colour Pastels Limited

Website

https://unisoncolour.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Unison Colour Pastels Limited is a UK-based manufacturer of handmade soft pastels made from pure pigments and water, selling DTC via its own website and wholesale through art supply retailers, Drawing Schools, and an Associate Artist program for professional and amateur artists worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Online sales through unisoncolour.com shop. Consumers purchase individual pastels and curated sets. Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Standard shipping £5.99 for orders under £100.
2. Trade/Wholesale Sales: Sales to approved trade customers including art stores, Drawing Schools, and Associate Artists. Subject to separate Trade Terms and AA/DS Terms with 30-day payment terms.
3. Online Tutorial Videos: Digital content streaming access to tutorial videos. Access granted per-tutorial with time-limited availability. Personal non-commercial use licence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Unison Colour Pastels Limited manufactures handmade soft pastels at a working factory in Northumberland, UK, using pure pigments and water in a formulation created by founder Sir John Hersey. The company sells individual pastels in three sizes and curated themed artist sets (Landscape, Portrait, Botanical, Heritage, etc.), and offers online streaming tutorial videos for soft pastel techniques.

Product overview

Unison Colour Pastels Limited is a UK-based manufacturer of handmade soft pastels. The core product line consists of handcrafted soft pastels available in three size formats: Half Stick (2.5cm), Small Stick (5cm), and Large Stick (7.3cm). These are sold individually and as curated Artist Sets themed around subjects such as Landscape, Portrait, Animal, Botanical, and Heritage. The company also offers digital Tutorial Videos as streaming content for artistic education. All products are handmade in Northumberland using pure pigments and traditional formulations developed by founder Sir John Hersey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soft Pastels Handmade soft pastels produced in Northumberland, UK, made primarily from pure pigments and water in a proprietary formulation developed by founder Sir John Hersey. Available in three sizes (Half Stick 2.5cm, Small Stick 5cm, Large Stick 7.3cm) with lightfast rating of 7-8. Targeted at professional and amateur fine artists for landscape, portrait, still life, wildlife, and seascape work on a wide range of surfaces, wet or dry.
• Curated Artist Pastel Sets Curated 18-colour pastel sets designed around themes such as Landscape, Portrait, Botanical, Heritage, and artist-specific collections (e.g., Tony Allain Homestead 18, Lisa Ober Portrait 18, Les Darlow Landscape 18). Sold in Small Stick format at £97.99 per set, providing artists with pre-selected palettes for specific genres. Includes Starter ranges from 18 to 72 colours.
• Online Tutorial Videos Streaming online tutorial videos teaching soft pastel techniques to artists, accessible via online account on a per-tutorial basis with time-limited availability. Provided for personal, non-commercial use only.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Caran d'Ache: Swiss premium art and writing instruments maker with artist pastel products. Comparable on premium positioning and fine artist customer base, but operates as a multi-category luxury art supplier rather than a pastel specialist.
• Faber-Castell: Global art and writing instruments manufacturer with a pastel product line. Comparable as a broader incumbent in fine art supplies, competing for the same artist customer base but with a far larger portfolio spanning many categories beyond pastels.

Direct peers

• Sennelier: French heritage maker of premium artists' materials including soft pastels. Comparable on high-end artist supply positioning, pigment quality, curated set offerings, and international distribution through art retailers.
• Schmincke: German premium manufacturer of handmade artists' colors including soft pastels. Closely comparable to Unison Colour on premium positioning, handmade production, artist-grade pigment quality, and global distribution to fine artists.
• Girault: French handmade soft pastel maker (now owned by Schmincke). Highly comparable on traditional handmade pastel production, heritage formulation, and premium fine artist customer base.
• Royal Talens (Rembrandt): Dutch art materials group producing Rembrandt soft pastels among its portfolio. Comparable on the soft pastel product line and global art retailer channel, though broader in scope than Unison Colour's single-category focus.
• Great American Art Works: US maker of soft pastels under the Great American and other brands. Comparable on soft pastel manufacturing, art supply wholesale distribution, and professional artist customer targeting.
• Terry Ludwig Pastels: US-based maker of handmade soft pastels using pure pigments. Highly comparable on handmade artisanal production, pigment purity, premium artist pricing, and direct-to-artist distribution model.
• PanPastel: Specialist in pan-format soft pastels for artists. Comparable as a category specialist in the soft pastel medium with global art retailer distribution and a focus on professional pastelists.
• Mount Vision Pastels: Small-batch handmade soft pastel maker serving fine artists. Directly comparable on artisanal production methods, premium pricing, and reliance on artist community endorsement for distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/softpastels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unison-colour-limited

Compliance2 records

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 UNISON COLOUR PASTELS LIMITED