By Jim Cavan

In the middle of a recession, the last company you’d expect to see in the black would be a high-end cabinetry studio.

Luckily for them – and for their ever-increasing customer base – Newburyport’s Jewett Farms & Co. isn’t just any company.

Jewett represents a quintessential Yankee philosophy: making the most out of what you have, while creating something as beautiful as it is enduring. For the folks at the Newburyport-based studio (they also boast a second show room up the coast in York, Maine), everything is about maximizing resources – particularly local resources – while leaving nothing behind.

For Jewett’s Elena Ruocco-Bachrach, the company’s commitment to quality goes hand in hand with their equally strong commitment to green and sustainable business practices. “We’re driven with quality and longevity in mind, things we consider very green in and of themselves,” says Bachrach. “And beyond that, the materials we use are the best and greenest available.”

Jewett’s wood sources are, almost without exception, local and sustainably harvested. Their process routinely makes use of reclaimed, antique, as well as with old-growth woods. Additionally, the finishing arm of their operation incorporates only water-based finishes, paints, stains and glazes, and their sheet stock material is formaldehyde-free.

The studio’s office utilizes now-routine methods to decrease waste – email invoicing, electronic faxing and an aggressive recycling program in the office, studio, and workshop. Wood cut-offs from various projects are used to design and build cutting boards, spice rack pullouts, cutlery dividers and other cabinetry accessories, while the sawdust generated from machining is provided free of charge to local horse farms for animal bedding.

In short, nothing is left to waste – a “green” approach to be sure, but also one as time-tested and reliable as Jewett’s locally harvested woods themselves.

They also have plenty of green plans for the future, including: a more comprehensive composting program; more efficient lighting throughout each of the company’s spaces; decreasing the studio’s dependence on oil heating; bolstering the studio’s insulation to help make it more energy efficient; the possibility of a solar hot water or photovoltaic system; generating zero landfill waste; more effective use of natural lighting; as well as a program to help capture wastewater for future use on the property.

Founded in 1999 by Mike Myers and Matt Lord, Jewett’s owners began their journey with the vision of creating a furniture and cabinet-making design company that embodied the woodworking traditions of New England. Initially a one-man show, Jewett really took off when, in 1999, Lord was contracted by Myers to help finish his kitchen. Myers was so impressed he became a full partner in the company, and the duo opened their York studio shortly thereafter.

Nine years later, in 2008, Jewett unveiled their first satellite showroom in Newburyport. Since then, the studio has enjoyed steady growth despite an undeniably challenging economic climate. While obviously part of the reason for the company’s success has to do with the product itself – quality, carefully-rendered and built to last – Bachrach thinks just as much credit is due to the company’s down-to-earth ethos.

“For us, every client is unique, and in that sense it makes our approach to a given project very organic,” explains Bachrach. “The company culture here is incredibly team oriented, and we want to impart that and apply the same principles to any project we do, any customer we work for, and any collaboration we are a part of with our professional colleagues.”

While time has certainly seen them make good on practice and craft, Jewett Farms has also sought effective avenues for preaching – and teaching – ways to go green. Their Continuing Education Series, held most Wednesdays at their 58 Merrimac Street digs, features tutorials on everything from earth-friendly insulation to floor refinishing and beyond, all conducted by local businesses and all free and open to the public. They also host regular Lunch & Learn programs for professional colleagues and clients, as well as to cooking classes which, depending on the season, focus on local produce, and to biodynamic and organic wine tastings.

In addition, Jewett has been proud to partner with the Seacoast Green Building Group, the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Newburyport Elementary PTO (hosting the yearly after-party for the Newburyport Kitchen Tour), and the Port City Women network on their special events – all in an effort to join forces with local businesses to create shared opportunities for growth and community engagement.

Jewett Farms may be fast becoming a Newburyport staple, but when they decided to start advertising their impressive “green” credentials, they looked to that port city just north of the border for help. In 2009 Jewett joined the Portsmouth-based Green Alliance (GA), a “green business union” and discount member co-op which helps to raise the profiles of green businesses throughout the region. Jewett Farms offers all Green Card members a 50% discount off their design fee, rendering even more accessible their unique brand of quality craftsmanship.

Jewett is currently in the process of finalizing their plans to expand their cabinetmaking facility as well as their Studio business, efforts which Bachrach hopes will help to support the growing interest in the company and its unique take on design and custom cabinetry.

Wherever Jewett decides to expand, one thing is clear: there will be an ever-growing consumer base – as dedicated to quality and longevity as it is to green and sustainable methods – waiting for them.

“The sensibility about green is growing here and in wider communities, and we’ve definitely seen growing interest in that aspect of projects,” says Bachrach, “but this is something we’ve been doing all long. This is not a new marketing approach for us. This is who we are and it has always impacted how we approach design, our craft, business, clients and the world.”