Betterwood - Das gute Holz
Betterwood
Betterwood is a young timber trading company that distinguishes itself by being significantly more sustainable, transparent and committed than most traditional competitors.
The company was founded in 2009 with the aim of promoting sustainable forestry in the tropics and thus stopping the displacement of forests by agriculture. It was Christian Körting who had the idea and who then put the project into practice together with his sister Catherine Körting and her partner Philip Jaeger.
The original business idea was to broker certified tropical timber to the timber trade as an agency. However, the established companies in the sector showed almost no interest in the eco-tropical timber and so the concept had to be adapted once again. This gave rise to the idea of direct sales: who said that agencies, importers and wholesalers were needed at all if the good wood could be delivered directly to private customers and their craftsmen?
All that was needed was an online shop through which people could find out about Betterwood and buy the wood they wanted directly.
The company was founded in 2009 with the aim of promoting sustainable forestry in the tropics and thus stopping the displacement of forests by agriculture. It was Christian Körting who had the idea and who then put the project into practice together with his sister Catherine Körting and her partner Philip Jaeger.
The original business idea was to broker certified tropical timber to the timber trade as an agency. However, the established companies in the sector showed almost no interest in the eco-tropical timber and so the concept had to be adapted once again. This gave rise to the idea of direct sales: who said that agencies, importers and wholesalers were needed at all if the good wood could be delivered directly to private customers and their craftsmen?
All that was needed was an online shop through which people could find out about Betterwood and buy the wood they wanted directly.
The advantage is that this also enables transparency that would have been inconceivable with traditional sales channels. In addition, resource-consuming intermediate steps can be omitted, so that less money is needed from the end customer and yet more of it reaches the producer. Unlike large parts of the trade, private customers are interested in whether forests are destroyed or protected for their patio, cupboard or living room table. Thus, with the help of Betterwood's online shop, the rainforest can be protected directly and sustainably.
Betterwood's sales department has always been located in Berlin, but has moved several times, from Neukölln to Treptow and is now in Moabit. The warehouse, on the other hand, moved once across Germany. The first container with FSC-certified Cumaru decking boards from Bolivia was stored at a forwarding company in Hamburg. Then the warehouse moved to Michendorf near Potsdam. In 2014, it was then opened in Nümbrecht in the outskirts of Cologne. The location, the space and the local employees have ensured that Betterwood has now put down roots there.
A lot has changed since it was founded a good ten years ago. The idea of sustainability has developed from a marginal phenomenon to a central social issue. Online trade has become established. This helped Betterwood to successfully establish itself in the market. Today, the company is known and loved by thousands of customers. The company has so far been able to do without advertising and has thus had the opportunity to use the money to support environmental projects instead. Betterwood is growing from year to year. And it has done so without outside investors, i.e. only through its own efforts. Soon, even the warehouse will have to be enlarged and many new products will be added to the range. The team is also growing steadily, as is the technical equipment. What does not change, however, is the founding idea from which the company emerged: to promote sustainable forestry in order to protect the forest.
www.betterwood.de
Betterwood's sales department has always been located in Berlin, but has moved several times, from Neukölln to Treptow and is now in Moabit. The warehouse, on the other hand, moved once across Germany. The first container with FSC-certified Cumaru decking boards from Bolivia was stored at a forwarding company in Hamburg. Then the warehouse moved to Michendorf near Potsdam. In 2014, it was then opened in Nümbrecht in the outskirts of Cologne. The location, the space and the local employees have ensured that Betterwood has now put down roots there.
A lot has changed since it was founded a good ten years ago. The idea of sustainability has developed from a marginal phenomenon to a central social issue. Online trade has become established. This helped Betterwood to successfully establish itself in the market. Today, the company is known and loved by thousands of customers. The company has so far been able to do without advertising and has thus had the opportunity to use the money to support environmental projects instead. Betterwood is growing from year to year. And it has done so without outside investors, i.e. only through its own efforts. Soon, even the warehouse will have to be enlarged and many new products will be added to the range. The team is also growing steadily, as is the technical equipment. What does not change, however, is the founding idea from which the company emerged: to promote sustainable forestry in order to protect the forest.
www.betterwood.de
