Point to Point Part 2

Low Carbon's Trailer & Stand

Ok, I’m sorry…..I’m a little late with my update on the Point to Point, sadly I didn’t get swept away by any men on horses and luckily I didn’t loose any fingers either so all is well. It was an early start as with any show that we decide to do, the frost was thick and on arrival at Bradbury Rings it was around -2 on the car thermometer.  With some forethought we had positioned our trailer on Saturday afternoon which was genius on our part, some of the traders arriving after us took some time to work out what the set up was and many were left a little disgruntled by the lack of organisation.

The Harrie Leenders Fire Pit

Some of our fireside accessories

That said everything worked out well, other than a few hazy moments where we couldn’t quite remember how the stand went together (brain was shutting down due to the cold) we were ‘off and running’ (excuse the pun).  It was cold, there is no two ways about it but having the trailer was a massive advantage.  I was fully wrapped up, 5 layers including a long sleeved thermal, leggings under my jeans and two pairs of thermal socks inside my snow boots.  The bacon sandwich went down well around 10.30am and then it really kicked off.  We sold one of our fire pits and had a number of enquiries ranging right across the board.  Most people of course were sneaking in to get warm, we never mind this as it gives us a great opportunity to fill them in on the benefits of having a log burner!

 

Frank and his girlfriend

Andy came down with his dog Frank, he’s a big dog all be it a very friendly one and took great delight in licking everyone that came anywhere near him.  He also managed to find himself a girlfriend, so adorable was the scene that I had to take a photo! One of the most amusing moments of the day was when a gentleman came to partake in a toasted marshmallow, he had toasted it beautifully and it looked very tempting, as he bit in to the mallow the squidgy centre got taken by the wind and it blew a string of pink sticky mallow right across his beard and firmly planted itself in the bristles ending at his ear.  Unfortunately I was laughing too much to say anything and he hadn’t noticed.  Eventually after a few minutes his wife spotted it. Due to the fact it is quite common place for this type of thing to happen, I was able to supply him with a wet wipe to clean up the mess.  You should never leave home without a wet wipe!!

As the day drew to a close we began to pack up and I can’t say I was sorry, I couldn’t wait for a hot bath.  It was a fabulous day, we met lots of lovely people and had some fun along the way.  Next stop for the Low Carbon TrailOr is hopefully the New Forest Show in July although we're not suer if they want us, we are yet to receive confirmation.  Hope to see you there!

Point to Point 2013

Low Carbon 'TrailOr' on it's way to a show.

It’s that time again when we’ll be sporting our wellies and heading off to Bradbury Rings race course for the annual Point to Point meeting this Sunday.  Naturally we’re hoping it is going to warm up a little, I for one will be making sure my thermals are all in check for what potentially could be a pretty chilly April morning!  The fabulous thing about the Low Carbon 'TrailOr' (a pet name derived from a spelling mistake by Rich early in our ownership) that we take with us, is it has built in heating, three lit Woodburning Stoves……so at least I know that by lunch time I’ll be able to shed a few layers and bask in the warmth from the trailOr.
I’m off to the yard this afternoon to help the boys load up the truck with the tents and equipment then Rich will be trundling down to the ground with the trailer tomorrow to make sure we get a good spot. So if you’re travelling in that direction tomorrow keep your eye out for it, it looks something like this from behind……
If you’re at a loose end on Sunday feel free to pop down and share in a free marshmallow toasted on our very trendy and slightly slinky fire pit…..unlimited supply on the mallows (whilst stocks last) or if you prefer you can bring a loaf of bread with you and make toast. You can come and have a chat about renewables at the same time, I promise we won’t try and sell you anything!
Watch this space for my update on Monday, that’s if I haven’t raced off in to the sunset with a good looking jockey or worse lost my fingers & toes through frost bite!

On a very cold Monday morning in February Chris and I set off at 5am for a long drive to Derby to meet up with our retail partners Robeys in preparation for our trip to Italy.  The trip had been organised by Piazzetta one of our well respected manufacturers whose stoves Low Carbon have been supplying to customers for many years.

After a good breakfast for sustenance and a nice hot northern cup of tea we set off to the airport with dreams of copious amounts of spaghetti and pizza and hot afternoons lazing about in the Italian sun.  Unfortunately as with all work related jaunts, although the food didn’t disappoint we were in for a very informative and eye opening couple of days, no lazing around for us.

Piazzetta Showroom

Piazzetta Factory Entrance

After arriving in the beautiful hilltop ‘City’ of Asolo just north of Venice we settled in to our small but comfortable character filled hotel and prepared ourselves for the coming day.  The following morning, once satisfied with a simple breakfast hosted by what can only be described as your typical ‘Italian Mamma’ and a very brisk walk to the fort at the top of the hill in the early morning sun, we set off to the factory.  Greeted by Lucio Turchet, (Export Manager) we were shown around the Piazzetta showroom and guided through the history of this 50 year old company.  Piazzetta supply wood burning and pellet stoves which come as inset or freestanding models, with boiler options available.  They started out as a family run business and have grown in size.  The father of the company still lives to this day in a house situated right next door to the factory on the original site where it all began.

Hand finishing the clay ready for firing

One of the most impressive features of the Piazzetta and Superior ranges is the Ceramics that are fixed to the sides of the steel frame stoves forming the casing, giving them a real Italian appearance and to the touch, undeniable quality. Piazzetta make all their own ceramics at the factory from the moulding to finishing and packaging, we were lucky enough to see this first hand on the tour.  Their range of 34 colours makes these stoves unique and with many of the processes still carried out by hand anyone investing in a Piazzetta product could not fail to be impressed by the end results.  Following on to the testing lab was interesting to say the least. Some stoves were looking like they had seen far better days, but this just illustrated how consistent they are with their testing.  Piazzetta are recognised throughout Europe for their high testing standards and they go to some great lengths to achieve accurate results.

Preparing the soapstone

Lunch was one of surprise. With three courses we were baffled as to how the Italians stay awake during the afternoons!  The classroom beckoned and the later session was one of theory and processes with our opportunity to suggest what we felt would be a successful addition to the UK market.

Day 1 complete at 6pm we headed back to the hotel and onwards for dinner.  Another feast of delights, some of which you would never see across a table in England!  With our host Lucio heading up the table, everything was under control and well communicated. It’s always useful having an Italian with you in Italy, especially for those of us with limited vocabulary.  With the prospect of another fact filled day ahead we headed to bed.  For some not a great prospect as it appears the Italians like their mattresses very firm, for me slumber came quickly and on Wednesday we woke to a very wet almost British like day. 

With breakfast complete we were all raring to go and today we were set to learn all there is to know about Pellet Stoves. With the technical programming abilities that these stoves have there was a substantial amount to take on board.  As with everything once you know what you’re doing with it, it’s simple and with the technical guys from Piazzetta at the helm they breezed through it with relative ease.  Frantic page flicking and note taking resulted in most feeling fairly comfortable in taking these products home and installing them in people’s homes.  Low Carbon is aiming to gain it’s MCS accreditation for Biomass this year and therefore both Chris and I were very excited of the avenues this will open up for us as a business.

'Line' Piazzetta's new pellet stove

Lunch on day two, yes you’ve guessed it, three courses and the offer of wine!  Chris and I politely declined, with the prospect of yet more technical training in the afternoon session we decided it was wise to keep a clear head and thank goodness we did.  The technical aspect of the training had done it’s distance with me and I took the opportunity to have some dedicated time with Lucio who answered some of my (excuse the pun) burning questions on the standard wood burning stoves and their features. Chris pretty much buried himself in the data book for the Pellet Stoves.  When I came to find him at the end of the session he had his head in a stove examining the workings!

At 5.30 we were all done, heads full of new and useful information and feeling like we’d used up our brain capacity for the day.  With dinner looming we headed back to the hotel. When flying with Ryanair one doesn’t get to take a vast array of outfit options so we all sported our tidiest pair of jeans and jumped on the mini bus for a last night of over eating!  It was time to let our hair down and enjoy a glass of the local Prosecco followed by a Grappa or two, then back to a local bar for a night cap.

Thursday we headed home.  We had been well and truly looked after and blinded with brilliance.  The showroom was spotless, the factory immaculate, the professionalism and pride shone from everyone we came in to contact with and our confidence in this brand had grown beyond doubt.  On returning to good old blighty, as well as being grateful to get back to one course at dinner and a soft bed we were brimming with enthusiasm and looking forward to talking to some of our new customers about the possibilities these stoves can offer.  Piazzetta really do know what they’re doing!

Written by Caroline Southard