Thomas Smith's Trugs

21/08/2026

It's been quite a week here at the Trug Heritage Centre! On Monday we launched our new website, which is much easier for folk to navigate now. Then we appointed a European Authorised Responsible Person for our company (more of this sometime later). We completed our Technical Compliance Date Sheet for the European Union as we gear up for a push in sales there.

We've also cemented a strong relationship with a local strategic partner (again, more of this later!).

Now, we are working on adding our trugs to a major online business to business wholesaler, covering the USA, Canada and several European countries.

Last week, we despatched an order to a new dealer in Tasmania. The Drill Hall is at 17 Stephen Street, New Norfolk, Tasmania TAS7140, for one of their subsidiaries. Their order is on the way! [email protected] for details.

Next week? One important job is to upgrade our export packaging with our local suppliers.

Have a good weekend everyone and thanks for following us!

18/08/2026

⭐ Over 50 Five-Star Ratings & Counting!

With a perfect 5.0 stars on Google (22 reviews) and an outstanding 4.9 stars on Etsy (33 reviews), our customers have spoken. When you choose a Sussex Trug from Thomas Smith’s Trug Shop, you’re investing in hand-crafted quality and heritage craftsmanship you can trust.

18/08/2026

Our new website is officially live! 🎉

A big thank you to Gillian, who became the very first customer to place an order on the new site yesterday! We had a couple of minor hiccups during the checkout process, but a massive shout-out to our web designers, Madison Solutions of Peacehaven, who sorted everything out swiftly so Gillian could successfully place her order.

Browsing our range is now easier than ever: 🛒 Where to find us: Look for the Shop button right in the middle of our home page. 🌍 Global Shipping: Clicking it will bring up options for all the regions and countries we supply. Simply click on your home area to view all the trugs currently on offer—no more scrolling all the way to the bottom!

Head over and give it a try today! https://sussextrugs.com (Secure website)

17/08/2026

Our new website is now LIVE folks!!
www.sussextrugs.com (you may need to refresh your page).

Since 1829, the Thomas Smith Trug Company has been creating handcrafted wooden trugs with exceptional skill and care. Each trug is a testament to over 195 years of British craftsmanship, perfect for gardeners who value tradition and quality.

14/08/2026

Just three days until the launch of our new website!

06/08/2026

Recently, writer and Victorian gardening lecturer, Melvin Smith, paid a visit to our workshop bringing with him a No.5 trug, which he purchased exactly 50 years ago to the day for £2.10p. Considering the use which it has had during that time, the Trug was in remarkably good condition and should last for a good many years yet. Melvin praised the craftmanship that goes into making these iconic gardening trug baskets and said that he would ask his granddaughter to bring it back again when it is a hundred years old!

04/08/2026

Next to our workshop is an almost 4 acre field,of which we have been asked by our landlord to manage. Each year we arrange for a local farmer to come and cut the hay and, this year and last, Fresh Meadow Farms have cut the hay. 16 big round bales of achieved and they told us the hay had a good mix of wild flowers this year, more so than last year apparently. They will use this to let their cattle graze on one of their fields which, in turn, will benefit from the seeds dropping on it to enrich the diversity of that field. All part of our wonderful ecosystem!

25/07/2026

Today should have seen our prices for our American customers reduced by 10%, but, unfortunately, Mr. Trump has other plans. The previous (limited to 150 days) tariff was levied under Section 201 of the Trade Act 1974. This expired yesterday to be replaced by a different 10% tariff under Section 301 of the Trade Act, which allows for a four year period. This is because the Administration are not happy with the UK's Slavery legislation, which is one of the strictest in the World!

Just to clarify: all of our prices on the USA page of our website allow for the trug, freight, customs duty of 5.8%, £6.75p (British Pounds) customs clearance by UPS and the 10% tariff, which applies to all the other costs.

We are very grateful to our US customers for continuing to support us and you can rest assured that we will keep a keen eye on this situation after the mid-term results, to see if there are any changes made.

23/06/2026

We need some volunteers for the following roles:
1) Building new jigs and boxes
2) Creating new shaving and making horses
3) Digital work on our Facebook, TikTok and YouTube channels, plus our shops on Etsy, TikTok and Amazon
4) Sales work on emailing customers around the world using Mail Chimp
5) Repairs to the roof, doors and windows.

We are a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee.
Please email us on [email protected].

17/06/2026

Yesterday was Sussex Day, and it turned into a brilliant celebration of the Sussex Trug. We were featured twice on BBC South East, with pieces in both the morning and lunchtime editions. BBC Radio Sussex also ran an interview about the future of our craft.

And it’s not stopping there. Tonight, Robin will be on the BBC Late Show, which goes out across every BBC local radio station in England.

The BBC also highlighted our Sussex Trug Future Project on social media, helping us share the story of this endangered Sussex tradition with even more people.

Here’s the link.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1wy0lg54y1o?at_ptr_name=facebook_page&at_link_type=web_link&at_link_origin=BBC_Sussex&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_format=image&at_link_id=D052F73C-694C-11F1-A31F-CA622B414440&at_campaign_type=owned&at_medium=social&at_bbc_team=editorial&fbclid=IwY2xjawSfP6pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeYBMmSOT-Tc2qF1wcPlpUXk93yzwoEPSV5Ze1Ln1163pZBT0MwQWeOi8aldY_aem_geXj7YyoBqwY6MkGCHxX2g

On Sussex Day, a traditional trug making company says it is trying to save the industry.