Meet the Makers: Ana Cantu from Little Green Paper Shop
Please introduce yourself and your business
Little Green Paper Shop is an eco-friendly, zero-waste stationery company specialising in greeting cards and business stationery.
Where are you based?
Sandbach, Cheshire.
When and how did you start your business?
I founded Little Green Paper Shop in 2020 as a home-based wedding stationery business, catering to eco-conscious brides.
During the early days of the pandemic, as it became clear that wedding ceremonies were being delayed, Little Green Paper Shop made the transition to focusing on business stationery and greeting cards. This was a huge success, and the business has now grown to five staff. We’ve also taken on a design and production studio in Sandbach.
What products do you make/design/create?
The business is family run and conducts all its own design and production work in its Sandbach HQ. These include: greeting cards, business cards, flyers, retail inserts, swag and event stationery. Since the opening up of mass gatherings we have also relaunched Little Green Wedding, catering solely to eco-conscious couples.
What makes your business unique?
One of the innovations we have made recently is the ability to mass-produce handwritten notes. We can use robotic writing to allow people to send thank you cards and notes to all of their customers or employees.
Are there any interesting and/or eco-friendly materials that you use?
All of our products are eco-first. Our papers are made from a variety of materials including cotton offcuts reclaimed from the textile industry: these are mixed with a variety of seeds to allow them to grow once used. We also offer papers embedded with other weird and wonderful materials such as coffee and corn husks, denim, and even reindeer poo.
As a member of both Terra Carta and the UNFCCC Climate Action Framework, we are committed to putting Nature, People and Planet at the heart of our business.
What is your favourite National Trust for Scotland place?
Our favourite Trust place is Branklyn Garden, because how could it be anywhere else! We love the story of how Branklyn Garden grew its amazing variety of rare and unusual plants.
How did you/your business start working with the Trust?
We have started working with the Trust just this year in response to a chance encounter on LinkedIn, and look forward to becoming a stable supplier in future in both business and consumer goods.
What’s your favourite product that you supply to the Trust and what was the inspiration behind creating it?
Our favourite product has to be our calendar. We created this last year and it sold out almost instantly. After such a terrible 2020, for much of the world 2021 signalled a year of hope, and turning over a new leaf (no pun intended) each month and bringing a new range of flowers in – it just felt perfect.
What do you love about Scotland? #fortheloveofscotland
Scotland has a special place in our heart, and despite not originating from the beautiful country we were piped into our reception to the sound of Highland Cathedral by a Mexican piper!
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