A well-made wooden cutting board can serve a family for years.
It can become part of everyday meals, holiday gatherings and the countless ordinary moments that happen around a kitchen. But despite how often cutting boards are used, their care is frequently an afterthought.
They are washed, dried and occasionally oiled, often without much consideration for what the wood actually needs over time.
New Hampshire-based Bumblechutes believes there is a better approach.
The veteran-founded, family-owned company has developed its Oakholm Kitchen Collection around a simple philosophy: care for things worth keeping.
For wooden cutting boards, that philosophy comes down to three straightforward steps:
Clean. Hydrate. Protect.
A Better Way to Care for Wood
Wood is different from glass, plastic or stainless steel.
It is a natural material that responds to moisture, repeated washing, drying and everyday use. Over time, a cutting board can begin to look lighter, feel dry or lose the richness it had when it was new.
Proper care does not have to be complicated, but it should be intentional.
Bumblechutes approaches cutting-board maintenance as a system rather than a single product.
Cleaning removes food residue and everyday buildup.
Hydrating replenishes oils in wood that has begun to dry.
Protecting adds a finishing layer that helps maintain the surface between treatments.
That thinking became the foundation of the company’s Complete Cutting Board Care System, which includes four purpose-built products:
- Cutting Board Soap for routine cleaning
- Cutting Board Scrub for deeper cleaning when buildup, staining or unwanted odors become noticeable
- Cutting Board Oil to replenish dry wood
- Cutting Board Wax to finish and protect the surface
Rather than asking one product to perform every job, each has a defined purpose within a repeatable routine.
“We wanted cutting-board care to make sense,” said Bumblechutes co-founder Erik Albrecht. “People shouldn’t need to become wood-finishing experts to take care of something they use every day. Clean it properly, replenish the wood when it becomes dry and protect it. That’s the system.”
The Idea Started With One Cutting Board
Bumblechutes did not begin with a corporate product-development plan.
It began in Erik and Crystal Albrecht’s kitchen.
In 2015, the couple had invested in a high-quality wooden cutting board and wanted to maintain it properly. They were underwhelmed by the products they found and began experimenting with their own formulations.
Their initial investment was approximately $224 in raw materials.
Erik brought the perspectives of a woodworker, military veteran and professional pilot, approaching the problem methodically and refining the process until the results met their standards.
Crystal brought something equally important: the perspective of the person actually using the board.
Her passion for cooking and time spent in the kitchen helped shape the idea that wood-care products should not only perform well but should also be straightforward enough to become part of normal kitchen life.
What began as a solution for their own home eventually became Bumblechutes, which officially launched in May 2020.
Today, the company develops and manufactures its products at its own facility in New Hampshire.
Why “Care for Things Worth Keeping” Means More Now
The philosophy behind Oakholm has become more personal for the Albrecht family over time.
In the summer of 2023, their oldest son, Liam, was diagnosed with severe autism. As Erik and Crystal began processing what that would mean for their family, they were also preparing to welcome another son, Ethan.
Just days before his due date, Ethan passed away.
Bumblechutes was quickly pushed to the background.
For a period, Erik and Crystal even considered selling the company they had spent years building.
Eventually, they made the decision to continue.
That experience changed how they viewed their family, their time and the things they wanted to build.
It also gave deeper meaning to a principle that had existed within Bumblechutes from the beginning: take care of what matters rather than treating everything as replaceable.
That idea is reflected in the name Oakholm itself.
For Erik and Crystal, oak trees have come to represent Ethan: strength, permanence and his continuing place within their family. Oakholm brings together that symbolism of the oak with the idea of home.
It is a quiet connection between the company’s next chapter and the son who remains part of the family behind it.
Ingredient Transparency by Design
The Oakholm Kitchen Collection also reflects Bumblechutes’ belief that customers should understand what they are using in their homes.
Rather than relying only on broad marketing claims, Bumblechutes identifies the ingredients selected for its formulations and explains the purpose of each product.
Across the Oakholm system, products incorporate intentionally selected ingredients including fractionated coconut oil, USA-harvested beeswax, organic carnauba wax and lemon oil.
The company’s cutting-board oil and wax formulations are also mineral-oil-free, providing an alternative for customers who prefer a different approach to traditional wood-care products.
The point is not to suggest that every conventional ingredient is inherently wrong.
It is to give customers more information and more choice about the products they use on wooden kitchenware.
For Bumblechutes, transparency is part of earning the customer’s trust.
The Everyday Habits That Matter Most
Even the best maintenance products cannot compensate for poor everyday care.
Wooden cutting boards should generally be cleaned promptly after use, dried thoroughly and not left soaking in water for extended periods.
The USDA recommends cleaning cutting boards after use with hot, soapy water and allowing them to dry thoroughly. Owners should also follow the specific instructions provided by their board manufacturer, particularly regarding dishwasher use, because construction methods and finishes can vary.
Beyond cleaning, the condition of the wood itself is often a better maintenance indicator than a rigid schedule.
If a board begins looking noticeably lighter, feels dry or appears to have lost some of its richness, it may be time to apply additional oil.
Once the wood has been properly replenished, wax can be applied as a finishing step to help maintain the surface.
The objective is preventative care.
Rather than waiting until a cutting board looks severely neglected, a simple maintenance routine can help preserve the appearance and condition of the wood along the way.
From Maintenance to Ritual
Bumblechutes first developed a following among woodworkers and makers, where caring for natural materials is already part of the culture.
Oakholm brings that same mindset into the kitchen.
The collection was created for home cooks, entertainers and homeowners who deliberately invest in well-made wooden cutting boards, butcher blocks, bowls, utensils and other wooden kitchenware and want to maintain those pieces accordingly.
Even the packaging was designed with that environment in mind.
Instead of treating cutting-board maintenance products as something that automatically belongs hidden beneath the sink, Oakholm was designed to feel considered enough to remain part of the kitchen.
Because Bumblechutes does not see maintenance as punishment for owning something nice.
It is part of owning something nice.
Take Care of What You Already Have
Bumblechutes began because Erik and Crystal wanted to take better care of one cutting board.
Years later, after building a company, nearly walking away from it and ultimately choosing to continue, that original idea carries considerably more meaning.
Some things are worth maintaining.
Some things are worth preserving.
And some things become more valuable because of the life that happens around them.
For Bumblechutes, proper cutting-board care is not about creating another complicated household routine.
It is about making a simple one easier to follow:
Clean it. Hydrate it. Protect it. Keep using it.
Because the best way to care for something worth keeping is to make sure it lasts.
Written in partnership with Tom White
