Karafuu tall jars

A pair of tall jars made from upcycled wine bottles, with lids carved by hand from mninga (Pterocarpus angolensis) in the shape of a clove, karafuu in Swahili.

Each jar is 7.5 cm across and 16 cm tall, or 18.5 cm with the lid on. They’re made for the pantry shelf, holding dry pasta, rice, beans, nuts and seeds, with a food-grade silicone ring that seals the lid.

The jars start out as wine bottles, gathered from hotels, restaurants and dump sites on Zanzibar and brought back to the workshop to be sorted, cleaned and disinfected. For a tall jar, the women cut a longer section from the straight part of the bottle: they score a groove, part the glass with heat and cold, and polish the edge twice.

A carver then shapes each lid from mninga. The glass keeps the colour of its bottle, so the two jars may differ slightly.

The workshop runs on solar energy, collects rainwater and trains its artisans on the job. It is a guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organisation.

Wash the jars by hand and dry them before refilling. Keep the lids out of water and dust them with a dry cloth. Wipe the silicone ring now and then.