About The NW Co.

Made by hand. Made to last.

I'm Khalil, a pastor and coach (checkout Growing Godly, LLC), a husband, and somewhere in between, a guy who builds cutting boards in a small workshop in Albany, Oregon.

It started the way most things worth doing start: with a meaningful gift. I made my first board for family. They used it, told someone about it, and that led to the first batch of orders. A few years later I'm still at it — still making each board by hand, still finishing them to the same standard I set at the beginning.

That standard hasn't changed because I've never been interested in cutting corners to move more product. we do everything with integrity and care. Every board gets sanded beyond the industry standard making it smooth enough that you notice the difference the moment you pick it up. Every board ships conditioned with our handmade board cream: mineral oil, vitamin E, and 100% natural beeswax at a higher ratio than anything you'll find in a store. It sounds like a small thing, but it isn't. It's what separates a board that looks good on day one from one that still looks good five years in.

The materials are the same story. I work with teak, American black walnut, and North American hard maple — hardwoods with grain that's worth looking at and density that earns its place in a real kitchen. Each board is its own thing. The teak especially. No two pieces of grain are the same, and once the current supply is gone, I don't know when I'll have it again.

I mentioned that I'm also a pastor. That part of my life shapes how I approach the work more than any business strategy. I believe the things we make with our hands and give to the people we love carry something beyond their material weight. They communicate something about what it means to be human, what matters most, and thy give God glroy when produced with excellence A board engraved with a name and a date isn't just a kitchen tool, it's more than that. It's something that shows up on the counter every morning and says: someone thought carefully about you. That's worth making well.

The NW Co. is a small operation and I intend to keep it that way. Orders come in, I make them by hand, and they go out to you. That's the whole business. Not just to make money, but to create memories. What I care about is that every person who opens a box from us gets something they didn't expect — a board that's noticeably better than anything they could have grabbed off a shelf.

 

If you have a question about an order, a custom request, or just want to know more about the wood — reach out. I actually answer.

With gratitude,
Khalil Burton
Founder, The NW Co.
Albany, Oregon