Within the Iris Hantverk Workshop - Bake from the Beginning
by Amber Wilson
The homeware brand Iris Hantverk has its roots in Sweden's labor movement of the late 19th century, when visually impaired artisans fought for fair wages. What started as a workshop and training facility has evolved into a globally esteemed creator of handmade household brushes and tools—tactile items distinguished by their elegance in a world dominated by plastic and speed. Presently, Iris Hantverk operates on a small scale, employing only 17 individuals, which includes visually impaired craftsmen in Sweden and Estonia.
Since 2012, Sara Edhäll has co-owned Iris Hantverk with her colleague Richard Sparrenhök. Before taking on the role of co-owner, Sara had worked at the company for many years, never anticipating she would eventually lead it. This changed when the company lost its government support and the former owners chose to sell.
“I had been with the company for a long time and experienced all the challenging years we faced in terms of profitability,” she remembers. With the jobs of visually impaired brushmakers at stake, she made a decision. “Several of us in the company wanted to ensure that the business could continue, primarily to protect the craftsmen's jobs. . . . Ultimately, it was Richard and I who purchased the company, and despite the initial difficulties of not securing substantial loans for working capital, we managed to get the business back on track. It felt very rewarding.”
In this workshop, skill is evaluated not by vision but by touch. “Often, craftsmen with limited vision have found it more challenging to learn brush-tying than those who are entirely blind, as they have relied more heavily on sight than on their tactile sense,” Sara explains. She believes the workshop represents a broader reality: “I think many more traditional arts and crafts can be mastered equally well by a blind person as by someone who can see.”
Working through touch also brings practical advantages. “A machine-punched brush can easily lose bristles if the wood cracks or expands—handmade brushes, on the other hand, avoid this issue due to their tying technique,” Sara clarifies.
Customers often sense the difference before fully understanding it. “The most common feedback is that the products are beautiful,” Sara remarks. “This is likely because so few everyday items are handmade these days. Plus, you can tell that the products are crafted with care and attention to the user.”
There is a unique closeness in the process of creating something solely through touch: the notion that craftsmanship is enhanced rather than diminished by disability, and that both function and beauty can coexist. After all these years, Sara's motivation remains straightforward. “What inspires and drives me,” she states, “is witnessing how many people value the products and may opt for a brush made from wood and natural materials over a plastic one.”
Bake from Scratch proudly offers Iris Hantverk's handmade kitchen tools. Explore our range of baker and pastry brushes, pastry scrapers, and cake testers at bakefromscratch.com/shop. To learn more about its craftsmanship tradition and to discover its complete product line, visit irishantverk.se/en. Every purchase contributes to the artisans who craft these heirloom tools.
Within the Iris Hantverk Workshop - Bake from the Beginning
written by Amber Wilson The homewares brand Iris Hantverk has its roots in the labor movement in Sweden during the late 19th century, when blind artisans fought for their right to receive fair wages. What started as a workshop and educational institution has evolved into a well-known global producer of handmade household tools and brushes—tactile items that embody elegance.