Most “linen” napkins have never been near a flax plant.

Why we exist

A napkin has one job: to take liquid off a mouth and a pair of hands. And the most-sold napkin fibre in the trade is the one that is worst at it.

Polyester is hydrophobic and oleophilic — it pushes water away and holds on to oil. That is the exact opposite of what the job asks for. It is bought anyway, sensibly, because it comes out of the dryer flat and never sees a press, and in a high-turnover room that labour saving is real money.

We are not against it. We sell a great deal of it. We are against selling it without saying what the trade is, because the moment a customer knows, they either accept it or they buy the blend that solves their actual complaint.

What we actually make

Spun polyester napkins, for rooms that will not press. Cotton and poly-cotton napkins with the split stated on the quote. Genuine flax linen napkins, named as flax, plain hemmed or hemstitched. Damask and woven satin-band napkins, for banqueting rooms where three hundred folds all have to stand up. Embroidered napkins, because that is the only branding that survives this wash. And small bistro and wine-service cloths for very high turnover.

Every one of them has a double-turned hem with mitred corners and a lockstitch, including the cheapest.

What we do not make

Paper napkins. Not one. No ply counts, no foil stamping, nothing described as “linen-feel”. Everything here is woven cloth that goes back into a wash, and if what you need is disposable we will point you at a printer who does it properly rather than take an order we would do badly.

We also do not make tablecloths, runners or placemats. The napkin is a different product with a different specification, and the people who make both usually optimise for the cloth.

And we do not launder or hire linen. We sell it to the people who do.

Three things we will tell you that cost us money

A stain-release finish is a treatment, not a property of the fibre, and it washes out. It is worth having and it is not worth planning around.

A coloured napkin cannot be bleached, which means it commits your laundry to a separate load and a different chemistry for the life of the stock. White is chosen for a reason, and the reason is not taste.

Napkin rings and clever folds do not rescue a napkin that will not hold a crease. That is decided by the weave and the weight, before your team ever touches it.

How we price

No dollar figures on this site. Price moves with fibre, blend, weave, size and quantity, and a mitred hem costs more than a serged one for a reason we will explain. Send the details and a real quote comes back the same day, with a lowest-price guarantee if you are already holding a cheaper one.

On sizing

Tell us the folds your room uses. Napkin sizes are quoted as names — cocktail, lunch, dinner, banquet — and the names cover a wide spread of actual dimensions.

We quote the cut size and the finished size after laundering, because cotton-rich cloth shrinks on its first industrial wash and the fold you planned depends on the size you end up with, not the size on the order.

How we work

Who we serve