While exploring the roads less traveled on the North Island of New Zealand, the founder and president of Ancientwood, Robert Teisberg, found locals using Ancient Kauri wood for the most amazing products. It was clear that this rare and unusual species had inspired unique creativity in the local artisans, and it inspired Bob as well.

Back at his workshop the Wisconsin cabinetmaker realized there was no Ancient Kauri available in the US, and Bob began exploring the possibility of supplying the North American market with Ancient Kauri. Ancientwood Ltd. began business in 2004 with the arrival of our first shipment of Ancient Kauri wood from our business associates in New Zealand. Combining the wood recovering expertise of The Ancient Kauri Kingdom, with our efforts to develop new markets, Ancientwood has developed a high-quality selection of material that is unmatched anywhere in the world today.

Our corporate office is located on Madeline Island--one of the 22 beautiful Apostle Islands, nestled along the Wisconsin shoreline of Lake Superior. Initially we had used a Seattle-based warehouse as our distribution center, but early on we realized the necessity of having to provide kiln-dried Ancient Kauri for our expanding worldwide customer base. Ancientwood developed a method to successfully kiln-dry the 50,000 year-old wood at a high yield level. This unusual drying method is very hands-on, so it made sense to consolidate our efforts closer to the office in the Midwest.

Our search for a local warehouse and workshop space brought us to our present home in Ashland, Wisconsin, while the corporate office remains nearby on Madeline Island. In an area with a long history of wood-based manufacturing and lumber production, Ashland provides us with a central distribution area for the nation.

In addition to supplying Ancient Kauri as raw lumber, timber, and slabs, Ancientwood manufactures finished products. We continue to see increased demand for our large finished slabs as countertops, bartops, and tabletops; as well as in the flooring industry. These areas define much of Ancientwood’s manufacturing focus for 2009. The vast knowledge of woodworking and wood supply in the Ashland area is a great resource for Ancientwood.

As we increase manufacturing and move toward bringing more Ancient Kauri to the North American markets, we are excited to be working with some of the most talented people in the world, our customers. We are fortunate that designers, architects, and artisans, have seized the opportunity to work with such a fantastic product -a material that is ecologically aware, noble, and thought provoking. Their use of the Ancient Kauri has brought noteable attention to these finished works.

We often share our woodworking and finishing techniques that have proved successful in our shop, with our customers. In return, we see some of the most original and beautiful designs ever conceived.