Tēnā koutou
We are Jeremy and Rachel Trotter, proud owners of Ruff Tūporo. We have three lovely girls and we love living on the beautiful Hibiscus Coast. Ruff Tūporo is a very special name conceptualised by ourselves and our younger daughter Soraya.
“It all started in the King Country, Taumarunui, where at the age of 14 I started working for a local sawmill cutting woods such as Rimu, Totara, Douglas Fir and Radiata Pine. Learning to breakdown a log using bandsaws and circular saws, you get to appreciate how versatile and amazing wood really is. From being involved in the sawmilling industry for around 25 years, to working with a local woodworker who specialised in making some incredible Rimu furniture, the manufacturing of bandsaws and sharpening circular saws, to currently creating our own unique style of wooden products, you could say I just can’t keep my hands off the stuff”
– Jeremy Trotter
What started out as gifting chopping boards and grazing platters to family and friends, to taking on the feedback of the quality and functionality of these items, resulted in developing a design, brand name and logo.
Wood or “Tūporo” has been a big part of Jeremy’s life
Jeremy has always taken a keen interest over the years in finding things that were unused, broken or unwanted and transforming it into something that has the potential to become a great piece of workable art.
From pallets on the side of the road to old drawers, un-wanted cabinets, hutch dressers or coffee tables, if it is made of solid wood it can be made into something quite special!
In fact, one our first pieces of furniture we created was a three metre (12 seater) long dining table made from pallets using a handsaw and a rasp with a few nails and bolts. It was quite an achievement and a piece of furniture we have many cherished memories of. There is nothing quite so satisfying as to make something with your own hands and to stand back and look at the finished product (bangs, cuts and all) and realize that your own hands made it.
What started out as gifting chopping boards and grazing platters to family and friends, to taking on the feedback of the quality and functionality of these items, resulted in developing a design, brand name and logo. It is like we were always going to do something that involved working with wood, where Jeremy could put his experience, creativity, craftsmanship and workmanship to good use.
Why Ruff Tūporo?
This name came from a brainstorm one afternoon with Jeremy and his younger daughter. Behind every finished product is the process of sourcing that timber whether it be slabs of macro-carpa or unwanted drawers or units made from native timber and breaking it down. Safe to say this process is laborious and “ruff!” Jeremy is able to look at it and visualise how he can get the most out of it, and eventually design a workable piece of art. From there, you get “tūporo” – a stunning piece of wood with its own story, restored and repurposed for new memories to come!
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