Following more than 175 years of manufacturing in Cumbria, Derwent have become a member of Made in Britain, a select group of British manufacturers who are authorized to use the Made in Britain marque.

Made in Britain is made up of over five hundred British businesses and Derwent are proud to join many other members such as Mathmos and Stoves.

Established in 2011, Made in Britain celebrates and promotes British industry to a national and international market. Following market research, it was found that 63% of the British general public believed that a marque needed to exist.

The marque allows consumers to recognise when they’re ‘buying British’ but also gives brands the opportunity to celebrate their heritage and craftsmanship.

Derwent have been perfecting the art of pencil making in the Lake District on the shores of Derwent Water for over 180 years. Successive generations have built upon their commitment to quality and innovation enabling Derwent to offer the largest and finest range of artist’s pencils in the world today.

Astri Saunders, marketing manager at Derwent said “We’re very pleased to become a member of Made in Britain. As recognition of the Derwent brand continues to grow internationally, we felt it was important to reinforce our long British heritage and commitment to British craftsmanship.”

John Pearce, CEO of Made in Britain comments “We are very excited at the prospect of working with Derwent, the most famous UK brand in artist’s pencils.”

“Creativity and design are at the very heart of manufacturing, so a household name in the artist materials industry is really important to Made in Britain. Our marque promotes the products of British industry and the tools needed to create them”

In 2014/15, British exports made £2.7 billion for the economy. The Derwent brand will start to show the Made in Britain marque on its products from April 2016.