At JAKOB, we believe true luxury lies in the details — the quiet craftsmanship that often goes unseen. From the finest recycled cashmere to every last stitch and button, we go to great lengths to ensure each element reflects our values of quality, provenance, and sustainability.
Our Corozo buttons are sourced from Courtney & Co, a small family business dedicated to reviving button-making in the UK. Having restored one of Britain’s last remaining button factories, they have become a trusted supplier of high-quality, natural buttons — from real horn to corozo — to customers around the world.
In this interview, we speak with Andrea from Courtney & Co about heritage, sustainability, and the enduring beauty of making things well.
Can you take us back to the origins of Courtney & Co and how your journey in button-making first started?
Courtney & Co first became involved in this project 12 years ago in 2013, when Britain's last specialist horn button maker, James Grove & Sons Ltd, collapsed into administration. It had been in business for some 155 years and employed 600 people at its peak. Having no background in button-making, the journey has been long and difficult. The turning point came in 2019 when the company took a gamble and employed two local people to learn the skills necessary to turn and finish button from start to finish. Until such time, myself, Andrea Courtney had been largely responsible for many of the processes (as well as client relationships and order fulfilment) supported by my husband, David, who assisted with the company's marketing efforts.
On the eve of Covid and lock-down, the company invested in new machines and technology to facilitate the investment in people only to be frustrated by the inability for the Italian machine supplier to deliver the machines and provide training. It was some 18 months later that everything was present to start the process. Tentative steps led to Courtney & Co turning its first Corozo buttons in late 2021. Since this time, we have expanded into the production of not only corozo, but also real horn and Codelite (milk casein) buttons, upgrading our dyeing and polishing facilities as well as purchasing a state-of-the-art laser etching machine to accommodate clients' branding needs.
In 2024, we made and finished over 1 million buttons entirely in-house and send buttons buttons to clients as far away as Japan, Korea, Australia, Mexico, Kenya, the USA and many parts of Europe to list just a few ranging from Savile Row tailors, to fashion houses and ateliers, umbrella makers and even high-end soft-furnishing brands.
"[Courtney & Co] sees itself as a specialist, artisan button-maker.”
What does the future look like for Courtney & Co?
Courtney & Co has created a platform of competence and expertise and a client base which allows it to look to the future. In part, this revolves around a slow, but manageable increase in scale, even though the company sees itself as a specialist, artisan button-maker rather than a huge industrial concern. This allows us to concentrate on building our core values and relationships with the hope of adding new natural materials to our current range.
What does sustainability mean to Courtney & Co and how does it shape your work?
Sustainability has two meanings where Courtney & Co is concerned. The first, of course, relates to environmental factors, which is why we only make buttons made from natural and sustainable materials as well as ensuring that the processes are equally as sustainable and eco-friendly. As an example, we use Oeko-tex 100 Standard dyes, and a range of media from wooden pegs to ceramic stones, to pumice powder to scour, polish or matt or buttons. But the second part of our interest in sustainability is that of human resources - skills and experience - as without the presence of such people there would simply be no company. As such, we have invested in training our staff, added another full-time member of staff, and are committed to expanding our collective abilities at all times.
“Everything starts with sourcing the finest quality raw materials. [...] Every button which leaves the factory is checked by hand and eye, with only the best being dispatched. It is a labour of love.”
What makes your buttons stand out — in quality, craftsmanship, and character — from the many cheaper options produced overseas?
Courtney & Co is without doubt one of the smallest button-makers in the world. If you consider that total annual global button production is somewhere in the tens of billions, it is easy to understand that the size and scale of Courtney & Co is what makes it special. Everything starts with sourcing the finest quality raw materials. Our button maker, Steve, is one of the most fastidious people on the planet and he makes sure that what he produces is as close to perfect as possible. It is his approach which dictates company policy throughout with many processes still undertaken by manual rather than automated means. Every button which leaves the factory is checked by hand and eye, with only the best being dispatched. It is a labour of love.
Can you tell us a bit about how a Corozo button comes to life — from nut to final button?
A great deal of time and craftsmanship goes into making Corozo buttons. David has even written a book on the subject, From Forest Floor to Fashion Store - The Story of Corozo Buttons, which tells the story of the Matapalo community in Ecuador who collect Tagua nuts from the rainforest floor, and the artisans who dry, peel and slice them into blanks ready for button-makers like Courtney & Co.
Corozo comes in three natural qualities, defined by the purity of its ivory-white colour - and Courtney & Co use only the finest blanks to ensure exceptional results.
At our factory, the buttons are first turned on specialist machines that shape the profile, apply patterns and drill holes. Each design has its own precisely calibrated cutters. They are then polished using different media and timings depending on whether the finish should be polished, satin or matte. Only after this stage can the buttons be dyed.
Dyeing takes several days: the buttons are soaked overnight so they swell and absorb colour, then placed in near-boiling dye for two hours before being cooled in cold water to set the colour. It takes at least two days for them to return to their natural size. Only then are they inspected, counted and dispatched — all by hand and eye.
When we visited, we caught a glimpse of your secret “recipe” book — could you share a little more about it with our readers?
Bespoke-matching colours to swatches is a fine art as we have learned and involves a huge amount of skill and experimentation. Mixing the primary colours into a plethora of desired tones and colours is highly complex, so keeping notes of 'secret recipes' is all part of the process. It is what sets one button apart from another.
A slightly more personal question — how do you find the experience of running a business together as a couple?
It’s fair to say I live and dream in buttons. I’m fortunate to be supported by an exceptionally capable and equally dedicated team, which means my husband, David, is called upon less and less — though he is quite the buttonista himself. We’re both delighted to see the business flourish and to share in the excitement of shaping its future together.
Andrea and David Courtney together with Akshata Murthy, wife of then PM Rishi Sunak, at an event organised by the Board of Trade, at No 10 Downing Street, London, April 2024 .
