Our ethos is to revel in the creative spirit, imagining beautiful, playful designs enriched with colour and story telling whilst embracing a unique passion for ethical integrity.
Our Artisan Gifts & Cards
Our gorgeous, bespoke gift box contains two 110g bars of creamy artisan soap, delicately fragranced with the zesty freshness of lime and herbaceous rosemary for a luxurious lather that nurtures one’s skin.
How they are made
Our palm oil free soap is handmade by traditional soap makers in Devon with nourishing olive, castor and coconut oils and enriching butters & herbal botanicals. Each hand poured batch is made in their coastal workshop and then sliced by hand to create deeply moisturising bars of soap.
The ingredients of our soap are cruelty free using olive oil that is ethically harvested during the daytime to avoid harming roosting songbirds and coconut oil that is consciously sourced to seek an end to the exploitation of pig tailed macaques (more details are in the Sustainability section). We never use parabens, SLS, SLES, PEGS, petrochemicals, plastics, pthalates, formaldehyde, synthetic dyes, preservatives or chemical fragrances. Our soaps are Vegan Friendly and gentle on sensitive skin.
Our illustrated box is made from 320g 100% recycled card, speckled with straw and is printed with vegetable inks by a carbon-neutral, zero waste, employee owned eco printer in Sussex. Each box is adorned with a beautiful, 100% recycled, satin cornflower blue ribbon made from plastic bottles that would otherwise enter landfill or the ocean.
Ingredients
Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Castor Oil, Aqua, Glycerin, Lime Essential Oil, Rosemary Essential Oil.
Please note: Palm oil is solid at room temperature and this soap is made without and by hand. For best results, place your hands under running water, pick up the bar of soap, lather and pop back into the soap dish.
Like any good bear, the jewel of our collection is a jar of golden, sustainable honey made through kinder beekeeping practices
In the rolling Cotswolds Hills, traditional wooden hives are nestled amongst a tree belt of 1,000 native, broadleaf trees adjacent to a wildflower field and nectar rich bramble hedgerows. This natural landscape gives rise to a single-origin honey that carries a distinctive flavour of the flowers, herbs and trees that grow there. It is this unique connection between the honeybees and the land that shapes the honey and ours is silky, rounded and toffee-like in flavour.
How it is made
Our sixth generation beekeeper adopts a harmonious approach to honeybees, pairing a deep knowledge, respect and loving care with minimal intervention. This approach places the health and happiness of the hive first and foremost.
Only honey that is excess to the bees’ requirements is collected. Unlike bears, bees don’t hibernate so need their honey to nourish them through the winter, when temperatures are low and nectar is scarce. Sustainable beekeeping prioritizes honey as nutrition for the honeybees themselves. No sugar or corn syrups have been given to the bees in place of their own honey.
No chemicals, including pesticides and antibiotics are used near the honeybees, hives nor land.
Gentle, minimal intervention means the Queen Bee’s wings are not clipped - her freedom to fly is maintained - and fertilisation occurs naturally and is never forced.
Raw and minimally filtered means the health benefits of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients are retained in our honey. (Pasteurization in supermarket honeys render these qualities ineffective.)
Positive, bee-centric practices reduce stress on the honeybees meaning their community and immunity is better protected so that they can be free to flourish alongside humans, as they have done in nature for over 53 million years. (For more information please see our Sustainability section).
Our very special hexagonal jars are made from 100% recycled glass and feature our hand painted, bespoke label celebrating the relationship between honeybees, wildflowers and the sun. Special details include exquisite gold foiled, hand drawn honeybees and their golden flight paths. The label is made from the finest, deeply textured FSC paper, printed with eco friendly inks and toners and is 100% recyclable.
Handcrafted by an artisan woodcarver come shepherd in the West Country, our teatime tray is made from sustainable solid oak and is as decorative as it is versatile.
Hand made in small batches our teatime trays are hand engraved on two sides featuring illustrated honeybees, our discrete emblem and the bon mot “Time for tea with bear & bee”. Each tray is unique, with the pattern of the grain providing a pleasing tactility and is made to the very highest quality.
Splendid for adding a luxurious touch to teatime proceedings, the tray will happily house two jars, with marmalade and honey being The Contented Bear’s condiments of choice! They can also signal a special moment of solo repose, bedecked with one’s favourite teatime treats and accompanied by a good book and a quiet spot, they add an element of ritual to self care.
Made from PEFC certified sustainable solid oak, which advances responsible forestry.
Each teatime tray bears the hand of the artisan who made it, supporting traditional heritage craftsmanship and creative jobs in rural British communities. Each piece of oak has its own charm, character & imperfections true to its nature as a raw material rooted in nature.
Dimensions are 20cm length x 10cm width x 3.5cm depth
To care for your teatime tray simply wash it with warm, soapy water after use to avoid staining and then dry. Refrain from leaving the tray in water as oak prefers not to soak.
Like any good bear, the jewel of our collection is a jar of golden, sustainable honey made through kinder beekeeping practices
In the rolling Cotswolds Hills, traditional wooden hives are nestled amongst a tree belt of 1,000 native, broadleaf trees adjacent to a wildflower field and nectar rich bramble hedgerows. This natural landscape gives rise to a single-origin honey that carries a distinctive flavour of the flowers, herbs and trees that grow there. It is this unique connection between the honeybees and the land that shapes the honey and ours is silky, rounded and toffee-like in flavour.
How it is made
Our sixth generation beekeeper adopts a harmonious approach to honeybees, pairing a deep knowledge, respect and loving care with minimal intervention. This approach places the health and happiness of the hive first and foremost.
Only honey that is excess to the bees’ requirements is collected. Unlike bears, bees don’t hibernate so need their honey to nourish them through the winter, when temperatures are low and nectar is scarce. Sustainable beekeeping prioritizes honey as nutrition for the honeybees themselves. No sugar or corn syrups have been given to the bees in place of their own honey.
No chemicals, including pesticides and antibiotics are used near the honeybees, hives nor land.
Gentle, minimal intervention means the Queen Bee’s wings are not clipped - her freedom to fly is maintained - and fertilisation is never forced.
Raw and minimally filtered means the health benefits of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients are retained in our honey. (Pasteurization in supermarket honeys renders these qualities ineffective).
Positive, bee-centric practices reduce stress on the honeybees meaning their community and immunity is better protected so that they can be free to flourish alongside humans, as they have done in nature for over 53 million years. (For more information please see our Sustainability section).
Our very special hexagonal jars are made from 100% recycled glass and feature our hand painted, bespoke label celebrating the relationship between honeybees, wildflowers and the sun. Special details include exquisite gold foiled, hand drawn honeybees and their golden flight paths. The label is made from the finest, deeply textured FSC paper, printed with eco friendly inks and toners and is 100% recyclable.
Our beautiful, bespoke gift box contains two 110g bars of creamy artisan soap, delicately fragranced with soothing rose geranium, bergamot and lavender for a luxurious lather that nurtures one’s skin.
How they are made
Our palm oil free soap is handmade by traditional soap makers in Devon with nourishing olive, castor and coconut oils and enriching butters & herbal botanicals. Each hand poured batch is made in their coastal workshop and then sliced by hand to create deeply moisturising bars of soap.
The ingredients of our soap are cruelty free using olive oil that is ethically harvested during the daytime to avoid harming roosting songbirds and coconut oil that is consciously sourced to seek an end to the exploitation of pig tailed macaques (more details are in the Sustainability section). We never use parabens, SLS, SLES, PEGS, petrochemicals, plastics, pthalates, formaldehyde, synthetic dyes, preservatives or chemical fragrances. Our soaps are Vegan Friendly and gentle on sensitive skin.
Our illustrated box is made from 320g 100% recycled card, speckled with straw and is printed with vegetable inks by a carbon-neutral, zero waste, employee owned eco printer in Sussex. Each box is adorned with a beautiful, 100% recycled, wheat colour satin ribbon made from plastic bottles that would otherwise enter landfill or the ocean.
Ingredients
Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Castor Oil, Aqua, Glycerin, Bergamot Essential Oil, Rose Geranium Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil.
Please note: Palm oil is solid at room temperature and this soap is made without and by hand. For best results, place your hands under running water, pick up the bar of soap, lather and pop back into the soap dish.
Our ‘Just a note to say…’ card features hand illustrated hands drawing red hearts. Perfect for sending someone a message of love, hope or appreciation whatever the time of year! Made extra special with gold foil details on the front and back of the card.
How they are made
Our cards are made exclusively from 100% recycled board, which at 320gsm has a luxury weight and feel. All of our cards are made in England by a heritage British printer and are 100% recyclable.
Card is left blank inside for your own unique message.
Card dimensions are 12cm x 12cm square.
Provided with a 100% recycled pale cream FSC envelope.
Posts as a standard UK letter size. For your convenience we offer Special Edition first class postage stamps - see Stamps in our shop to add to your order.
Our Love Hearts card features hand painted hearts decorated with gold foil lettering reading ‘LOVE’ for that extra special touch. Versatile for any and every occasion!
How they are made
Our cards are made exclusively from 100% recycled board, which at 320gsm has a luxury weight and feel. All of our cards are made in England by a heritage British printer and are 100% recyclable.
Card is left blank inside for your own unique message.
Card dimensions are 12cm x 12cm square.
Provided with a 100% recycled pale cream FSC envelope.
Posts as a standard UK letter size. For your convenience we offer Special Edition first class postage stamps - see Stamps in our shop to add to your order.
A thoughtful touch to adorn any envelope is a Royal Mail Special Edition Stamp. These beautifully designed first class stamps feature flowers that flourish in gardens across Britain including the tulip, rose, dahlia, nasturtium and peony. Simply select your choice of flower that colour coordinates or is meaningful to you and your recipient!
New Collection
Our palm oil free, artisan soaps are hand made on the Devon Coast with consciously sourced pure ingredients to care for you and the living world.
“The skin on my hands was so tight and uncomfortable. It used to itch terribly and I developed eczema across my knuckles. Every time I washed my hands I had to use hand cream. Since using your soap the eczema has gone and I now use hand cream about once every two weeks. It has instantly become my favourite soap!”
We are deeply proud to be endorsed by Naturewatch Foundation’s Compassionate Shopping Guide which as one of the longest running cruelty-free guides has been in publication since 1993. The Ethical Consumer Magazine ranks the Compassionate Shopping Guide joint first with Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny Programme as non-animal testing certifications you can trust. The Compassionate Shopping Guide is very select in only featuring companies that abide by their criteria across their entire organization. This unique attribute means that if one branch of a company is ethical but is funded & owned by a corporation that is not, they will not be certified.
Sustainable Living
The collection of our hand illustrated artisan products celebrates the innate link between quality and sustainability. Everything is lovingly designed and made in Britain, minimizing our carbon footprint whilst supporting and strengthening local communities, traditional heritage skills and craftsmanship that has been hewn over generations. Together we are a merry team of illustrators, artists, artisans, makers and printers who strive to make things greener and more meaningful, from the Devon oak carver and shepherd, to the compassionate Cotswolds sixth generation beekeeper, to the printer working from a heritage silk mill in Somerset. Read more about our practices, care and respect we have for the natural world.
Our Story
“We are always on the look out for beautiful gifts for family and friends but became increasingly aware of products whose beauty on the outside was not reflected in how they were made. Forced labour, toxic chemicals, environmental destruction, animal cruelty, massive carbon footprints, the more research we did, the worse the picture got. Even quintessentially British luxury brands were neither British, artisan nor ethical in their manufacturing and this was industry standard wherever we looked. We read a quote from Gandhi that really resonated it said ‘ There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.’ So a quest for a quiet British luxury began that honours the environment and makers, is pleasing and joyful and always opts for the most sustainable route forwards. Eventually The Contented Bear was born where the beauty of your intention is matched with the beauty of how the item is actually made ”
Behind The Name…
When eighteen, the matriarch of the Chambers family worked in a neighbourhood restaurant in knightsbridge with the waiting staff in top hats and live music courtesy of a Honky Tonk piano. It was a really happy place, full of spontaneous dancing and delicious food and it was called The Contented Sole. The ‘ber’ of our family name Chambers actually stands for bear and our family crest features bears and the motto ’to bear and forebear’. Together they inspired the name The Contented Bear, where we believe sustainability is the path to personal and environmental contentment and where we love to support Free The Bears animal welfare charity, an extraordinary family charity which saves, protects and heals those bears that need it most and gives them love, comfort and fairtrade, sustainable honey! Follow the link to find out more www.freethebears.org.
Meet our business cards & watch them grow
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We print our business cards on an innovative biodegradable material embedded with wildflower seeds.
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Place in a plant pot or flower bed prepared with gritty, low nutrient soil.
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Lightly cover and very lightly water, watch the card transform into wildflowers.
FROM OUR HANDS TO YOURS
Illustrated Creations For Sustainable jollification
We know that with the best will in the world it’s often not feasible to look into every facet of how an item is made - so we do it for you. Our aim is to offer convenience & relief from the worry that a gift bought out of love and affection is coming at a cost to someone or somewhere else. Therefore we have a simple equation…
Guilt-Free Shopping = MORE JOY!
