Cloudberries is a jigsaw puzzle company that has quickly gained a loyal following for its exquisitely designed and challenging puzzles. Founded in 2016, this company is on a mission to provide puzzle enthusiasts of all ages with a premium puzzle experience that is led with sustainability at its heart. Most recently, Cloudberries was also the sponsor for LSE's first ever Puzzle Off, and in awe of their planet-friendly ethos, we wanted to find out more about Cloudberries and its planet-friendly puzzling commitments.
WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION FOR SETTING UP CLOUDBERRIES?
Puzzles can be a lot of fun but when we started out, a lot of the designs out there were just a little... meh. It was easy to find puzzles featuring cats and cottages, but there was nothing that really made you go: '1 need that'. So we figured there was a gap in the market for a new kind of puzzle that would look great to have around, and be genuinely fun to put together. We started with just one design, and it kind of spiralled from there.
WHAT THINGS DO YOU DO TO ENSURE YOUR JIGSAWS ARE PRODUCED WITH ETHICS & SUSTAINABILITY IN MIND?
We started Cloudberries with two clear visions. The first was to create beautiful jigsaw puzzles that look and feel amazing. The second and more important goal was to do things the 'right' way. That means being respectful, looking after our customers, and having a lasting, positive impact on this planet and the people who inhabit it. Since day one, we've put quality, sustainability and respect at the heart of what we do. Whenever you buy a jigsaw - whether directly from our website, online through another site like Amazon or from one of our carefully selected stockists -we'll plant a tree. We're the first (and so far only!) puzzle company to make this pledge.
We also like to know that our puzzles are being produced by happy workers in a safe, healthy environment. We manufacture all of our puzzles here in Europe, in one of the continent's most developed countries, where full-time staff enjoy good working conditions and are entitled to benefits like paid holidays.
WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE MAKING PUZZLES THAT ARE
ETHICAL & SUSTAINABLE?
On the most basic level, it's important to tread lightly and to treat others well. And then from a business point of view, it just makes sense to do things in a sustainable way. Most of the people buying our puzzles are under 35 years old, and it seems like younger puzzlers care more about the environment.
WHICH JIGSAW IS YOUR FAVOURITE?
I really love Symmetry and Reflection, which are both designed by the British artist Matt Lyon. They both have a really cool concept: both sides of each puzzle look identical, but the cut of the pieces is subtly different on each side. So you kind of have a puzzle within a puzzle.
CLOUDBERRIES HAS BEEN UP AND RUNNING FOR SOME TIME NOW. WHAT HAS BEEN ITS GREATEST MOST CONCRETE IMPACT?
I'd like to think we helped galvanise the puzzling community on social media. We've always tried to involve people in the decisions we make as a brand, whether that's asking for help naming a new design, or creating the world's first crowdsourced puzzle. Everyday we get incredible messages from people who have found our puzzles therapeutic or helpful in some way, and that makes it all worthwhile.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE PANDEMIC INFLUENCED PUZZLING, IF AT ALL?
Before COVID-19, there was already a passionate group of people doing puzzles and sharing pictures of them on Instagram. And even if it had been growing slowly, it was still this kind of a niche thing. When people started getting stuck at home because of the lockdowns, that all changed, and suddenly it was totally 'normal' to be sharing puzzle pics. A lot of the people who discovered puzzling during the pandemic have kept up the habit, which is awesome.
WHAT INSPIRED THE CLOUDBERRIES CLOUDSOURCED PUZZLE?
I've always been interested in how technology can be used to put a new spin on existing ideas. It's great to use artists for puzzles, but one day l just thought, why not let the puzzlers decide? We spent weeks building this crazy custom tool on our website that would let people colour in different parts of a puzzle, and then just released it online. The biggest fear was that no one would care enough to do it, but in the end the whole thing was completed in a couple of hours!
ANY FUTURE EXCITING PLANS FOR CLOUDBERRIES?
We've got loads of fun stuff planned for later this year, including another new twist that we think serious puzzle nerds are going to love!
If you like the sound of Cloudberries, do visit their website to see all the amazing puzzles they have to offer
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