Creative Projects with Gilly's - Winestains

Winestains is a inspiring, upcycling success story, located in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. Kristal and Peter design and create an amazing range of platters and boards using discarded wine barrels. Kristal was kind enough to share their story with us. 

Please tell us a little about you and your business. We’d love to hear about how long you’ve been involved with what you’re doing and what inspired you to take this career path and when. 

Kristal and Peter - the father & daughter team behind Winestains

We're a father & daughter team who handcraft grazing boards & picnic products from recycled wine barrels that we source from our local wineries.

Living in the Barossa Valley and working in the wine industry has meant that we've seen quite a lot of wastage, especially with old wine barrels.

We wanted to do something about that.

We've been in business for 11 years now and absolutely love the business we've created. From the get-go we were conscious about giving back which is why we plant one tree for every design sold. 

Each product we create is designed to enhance your food and wine experience. We believe that carving out time to sit down, slow down, enjoy a glass of wine and connect with people around you has the ability to transform an ordinary day into something very special and we love being part of this process.   

How long have you been using Gilly’s products and how did you first come across them?

We've been using Gilly's Chopping Board Oil + Food Safe Wax since March 2022. I first came across the brand when I was searching for a product that we (and our customers) could use on our products to help maintain them to their highest quality. 

Is there any particular product you prefer to work with and if so, could you explain why?

We love the citrus & beeswax Chopping Board Oil combined with the Food Safe Wax. The oil is a great option to start with then after it dries, layering on the wax to help give our boards an extra layer of moisture protection. 

What you are working on right now and could you give us a step by step guide on how you are making it?

These cute little mini cake stands - perfect for tiny cakes and small rounds of cheese. Here is a demonstration of how Dad makes them.

  Step 1 - Pattern is drawn on raw timber

   Step 2 - Cutting with the band saw 

   Step 3 - Sanding the discs

  Step 4 - Discs are lined up and glued in place

Step 5 - Discs are branded with Winestains logo

Step 6 - Nourishing the timber with Gilly's Chopping Board Oil

Step 7 - Completing the finish with Gilly's Food Safe Wax

Did you know that when wineries buy their wine barrels (which they use to flavour the wine) they can pay anywhere from $900-$2000 per barrel? After around 5-8 years the wineries no longer have much use for them which is where Winestains come in.

Kristal says, "We love that we can re-use this timber that's housed some pretty amazing wines and turn it into something people can cherish in their homes".

You can purchase beautiful Winestains platters and other products from their website. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.