Olive Wood Bowls

We love these olive wood bowls. The shape of each bowl is unique some are shallow with thick bases, some oblong with divets on the edges. All have the rich grain for which olive is known, and none of them are round.

Cooperative Profile

Kahero Farm is just about 10 miles north of the Equator in the Great Rift Valley. It was a forest many years ago where people cut down trees for firewood and charcoal.

The new owners of the farm saved the brown olive (olea africana) stumps of trees that were cut down decades earlier and taught the local herdsmen to carve bowls and spoons from the aged wood. No two bowls are alike. Every bowl is made according to the grain in the wood. The carvers use machetes, chisels, and other homemade tools, some made from old harrow disks. The bowls are finished with broken glass bottles and sand paper and are then dipped in liquid paraffin, which protects the beauty of the wood.  The workshop is where the herdsman sits chipping away while watching the sheep and cattle in the field. The herdsmen are paid a fair price for the pieces they create.

Shown Wooden Bowls