Tony Moore and Diane Roberts got together to form Mr. Logs, a business dedicated to manufacture of eco logs, also known as green logs. Mr Logs manufacture Eco Logs for use in open fireplaces, stoves and solid fuel central heating systems.
The name of the business came about a bit by accident. They’d decided to use the initials of their respective surnames, so to begin with the business was called M.R Logs. Then someone pointed out that M.R looked like it ought be pronounced Mister – so Mr Logs was born.
Tony and Diane are the main people who own and run the eco logs business, but Tony’s wife Juliet helps out in her spare time voluntarily. The manufacturing plant is based in Barnstaple, however Tony and Juliet live in Hatherleigh, while Diane and her husband Roy live in Chulmleigh in North Devon.
Tony, Juliet, Diane and Roy were all born in Devon and are from families that have been in Devon for generations.
A Great Way To Re-Cycle Sawdust!
So why start a business around green or Eco Logs? The idea was Tony’s. He’d heard how much money timber yards were spending to dispose of the large amounts of sawdust their businesses produced. Until then Tony had no idea anyone actually paid to have sawdust removed.
Tony decided to do some research and found out that wood, especially waste wood like sawdust is the most environmentally friendly and accessible home heating solution out there.
The Log Making Machine
The professional removal of sawdust costs money, so it became clear to Tony that timberyards might have a problem that he could solve! Mr Logs could take the sawdust waste away free of charge, create eco logs and so put the waste to extremely good use.
Trees like all plants, take in carbon dioxide when they are growing. Later when sawdust is used to make Eco Logs, the carbon dioxide that is released in the burning process is equal to that which the tree absorbed whilst it was growing.
Basically, that makes burning Eco Logs carbon neutral.
There's almost no sulphur and not much nitrogen. The ash also an excellent fertiliser!
There are other uses for sawdust of course. For example, in ancient Egypt – they used to stuff mummified bodies with sawdust after removing all the internal organs to help the body retain some shape. But nowadays there is more demand for carbon neutral home heating than for body stuffing!
Eco Logs Require High Quality Sawdust
Mr Logs are very particular about the sawdust they use in their particular brand of Eco Logs. It must be dry with less than 12% moisture, so it’s normally sourced from joinery companies and is a mixture of soft and hard wood. By the time the log-making process is complete, the moisture content is reduced to 6%. Ordinary dry firewood can contain as much as 25% moisture. Due to the extremely dry nature of eco logs they radiate much more heat that the same weight in wood.
Once the idea had formed, Mr Logs was established in October 2010 after a long process of testing, various recipes for eco logs, and the procurement of the right equipment.
We are helping to re-cycle waste that might otherwise be discarded. We're turning a by-product of furniture production into fuel.
Something Environmentally Friendly
Tony was passionate about starting his own business after having worked for 34 years as a manager in a Devon based pet food processing company. He really needed something that was a complete change of direction.
Diane’s father left some money which he specifically wanted her to use to start a new business. Diane and Tony had worked together before, and it just turned out that the timing was right. They also had access to suitable business premises.
The Eco Logs Recipe – Tony’s Wonder Logs!
Tony enjoys the hands-on process of creating the eco logs and the interaction with the machinery. Having an enginering mind, Tony became obsessed with the process of forming the logs. He practiced by making them manually using various eco logs recipes before deciding on exactly the right compacting machine.
Tony worked on the log recipe, discarding all the usual methods to invent his own special log concoction. This resulted in special type of eco log. It produced a long-burning, high energy, green, low density wonder log.
Mr Logs are superior to many other eco logs available. They are very dry, densely compacted and heavy so they burn with very little ash, and leave less mess to clean up afterwards. Mr Logs burn hot and clean, for between 3-4 hours, which is their unique selling point.
Not Just The South-West – Mr Logs Will Deliver Anywhere In The UK
The South-West is an ideal location for Mr Logs – there are many managed woods and forestry related industries in the area. Also a large number of West Country households are rural and many can make use of Eco Logs for open fires, wood burners, Rayburns or solid fuel central heating systems.
Even so Tony and Diane want to add other products to their range and have started to experiment with other waste materials can be meaningfully recycled.
Tony worked on the log recipe, discarding all the usual methods to invent his own special log concoction. This resulted in a long-burning, high energy, green, low density wonder log.
The ideal client for Mr Logs is someone who is environmentally conscious and who appreciates a reliable, high quality recycled product. Anyone who doesn’t enjoy cleaning out their fireplaces and wood-burners too, is an ideal match!
Mr Logs deliver free of charge with the Chumleigh, Hatherleigh and Barnstaple areas. A small delivery charge is added for other areas. However delivery is not restricted to the South-West, and orders can be arranged anywhere in the UK.
I’ve tried other eco logs and thought Mr Logs would be the same. But you really have to try these logs to believe how different they are. You can tell when you pick one up – immediately you notice how heavy it is in comparison to others. The logs burn very hot and I’ve found I no longer need to clean the glass on my stove – it’s completely clean after Mr Log Eco Logs has been burned. And it’s true – there s very little ash. Russell J – Hatherleigh.
In order to keep them dry and warm, Mr Logs are put to bed in the warehouse under blankets. Tony and Diane are very fond of their eco logs. And it shows!
Promotion is currently only via word of mouth, the local parish pump magazine and shop window notices. If you are interested in trying out some Mr Logs eco logs, call Juliet on 07830 606018
About Elizabeth