Onoma Kitchenware

How do you describe your brand?

Our mission is to make you feel connected to Nature and its People through sustainably sourced, artisan crafted hardwood. Founded at the intersection of our passion for quality woodworking and meaningful gift giving, we create premium hardwood kitchenware made for the for the moments that matter.

Our products come in plastic-free, ready to gift packaging and come with an option to add a personal engraving, making them the perfect gift.

All our walnut, cherry, and maple products are made in Quebec from locally sourced maple and cherry hardwood, while our walnut is sourced from Western Canada. Our olivewood is handcrafted by skilled artisans from Mediterranean olivewood. All our products are sourced from FSC-certified forests and are 100% natural and food safe with no toxins, PBA, or microplastics.

Our business is approachable and personal. Our mission is to inspire connection. We wanted to make premium hardwood kitchenware accessible to all Canadians and elevate as many kitchens as possible. We were tired of buying cheap wooden kitchenware from big box retail stores. Wrapped in plastic, no personalization, no connection, not food-safe (example toxic adhesives like formaldehyde), and mass-produced overseas. We wanted our business to feel the exact opposite way. Each board is made and packaged just for you, from local, sustainable, and quality materials.

What inspired you to open your business?

Many things. A little backstory, I had a couple personal passions, one was woodworking and a passion for trees and different hardwoods. Another passion was quality and meaningful gift giving. I loved finding, customizing, and packaging the perfect gift to put a smile on a person’s face. So when looking for quality, locally-made, personal, gift-ready kitchenware for my girlfriend…. I couldn’t find anything I was satisfied with!

And so Onoma Kitchenware was born. Premium hardwood kitchenware made for the moments that matter, sustainably sourced and artisan crafted.

What’s your bestselling product?

Our Butcher Blocks (in either 3 species, but specifically walnut and cherry).

Why do you think people love it?

That is a great question. It’s hard to choose, but I think I would go with our butcher blocks. Why? Because any kitchen can get elevated with this addition. It is a beautiful piece you can leave out on the counter when not in use. The end-grain construction is quality stuff, adding even more durability and knife friendliness to the board. This is because the wood fibers are more regenerative and accept the chopping of the knife’s blade, and then close up again. It is what professional chefs use and I wanted to make it accessible to every kitchen in Canada.

It’s the perfect size at 15″ by 10″ by 1.5″ thick, small enough to store anywhere and leave on your counter, but large enough for all your cooking and food prep needs. It’s thickness is also impressive and highlights the build quality and will last you for years to come.

Lastly, it is made right here in Canada (in Quebec specifically) from hardwoods sourced in FSC-certified forests across Canada. As with the rest of our boards, it comes with the option to add a personal engraving and comes in our plastic-free gift wrapping. It truly makes for the perfect gift for any moment or kitchen!

What’s your favourite product from your own shop?

My personal favourite product is the Butcher Blocks for the above reasons. It is also my go-to recommendation for cutting boards due to its durability, versatility, and aesthetic.

However, I will not repeat the same above answer. A close second is our olivewood collection. It is really a tough choice between our olivewood charcuterie boards and olivewood utensils. I think I will lean towards our utensils.

Why are these so great? Well for starters they are absolutely beautiful. Olivewood is a beautiful, unique, and functional hardwood that is native to the Mediterranean region. Our olivewood products are hand crafted from skilled artisans in the Mediterranean from fruitless olive trees.

These olive trees are hundreds and thousands of years old, and we can see that rich history in the woods stunning grain pattern! What’s beautiful about our olivewood pieces is that each piece is truly one-of-a-kind, no two will ever exist that are exactly the same due to the natural grain patterns and live edges.

Olivewood is extremely dense, making the wood silky smooth, resistant to stains and odours, and is naturally antibacterial. These properties make olivewood the perfect hardwood for utensils, coasters, and boards. Our utensils are handcrafted from a single solid piece of olive tree, no adhesives, toxins, PBA, or microplastics! They are 100% natural and safe, unlike other kitchen equipment.

This beautiful set of 5 utensils has everything you need for your kitchen, all measuring 12″ which is the perfect length for control and storage. Along with our option to add a personal and engraving, they are truly a perfect gift for every home cook!

What’s your favourite local Montreal business?

That is a great question. I personally live in Montreal so there are so many great local shops here. I love a ceramics store called Monokiini, they create beautiful handmade products and also offer classes, which makes for the perfect date night.