Personalisation was always part of the plan for the Gaucho BBQ Grill Apron. A name on an apron makes the object personal. It reduces the chance it ends up unused at the back of a cupboard. It turns a product into something specific to one person. That matters to us — we make things to be used, not stored.
What We Were Looking For
When we started researching embroidery providers, the brief was straightforward: quality embroidery, reasonable lead times, based in Surrey or Kent, able to handle small batch runs. We weren’t looking for a social enterprise specifically. We were looking for the right embroiderer.
We found our provider through a social enterprise network in the region. They employed adults with learning disabilities as skilled embroiderers. We arranged a visit to the workshop.
What We Found
The quality was excellent. Not charitable-allowance excellent — genuinely excellent. Clean registration, consistent thread tension, sharp edges on letterforms. The people doing the work were skilled at it. We formalised the partnership.
The £2 personalisation fee on the Gaucho covers materials. The embroidery work itself is paid properly. We’re not subsidising social impact on the back of underpaid skilled labour. The partnership only works if it works for everyone in it.
Why It’s Not a Footnote
This partnership became part of the Bison Hill identity, not an add-on. We say it plainly on the product page because it’s true and because it’s the right thing to say plainly: our personalisation is embroidered by adults with learning disabilities. These aren’t afterthoughts — they’re part of what we mean by UK-made.
We didn’t go looking for a social impact story. We went looking for a good embroiderer. We found both in the same place. The work is good. The partnership is ongoing.
