For centuries, jute has been an integral part of Bengali culture, which is shared by both Bangladesh and West Bengal of India.

Sandra Thomson was born in Kolkata. Her family has a long standing connection with jute which began when her grandfather started working with a jute mill in 1920. Her father also had an association in the jute trade as a mill furnisher and worked in India from 1947. In 1967 Sandra's father arrived back in Dundee to become sales director of McGregor Balfour Holdings Ltd.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the raw jute fibre of Bengal was exported to the United Kingdom, where it was then processed in mills concentrated in Dundee for use in the carpet trade.

In 1985 Sandra started working in the jute industry, gaining invaluable knowledge of the properties of this versatile plant and with her knowledge of the Hindi language, was able to work closely with the local growers and mills to create the right quality of materials.

As the traditional markets for jute began to be replaced by synthetic yarns, Sandra started to design new materials from this versatile plant, which would meet modern day needs and has developed a range of products that range from ladies evening bags with a silky touch to geotextiles that reduce soil erosion.

The development of jute board, used in J funerals coffins is a good example, mixing plant fibres with natural starch under compression to create a strong, yet easily biodegradable board.

The latest development of bamboo board has broaded the horizons for the Jfunerals ethos of solid, biodegradable board. Like the jute, bamboo board is manufactured using plant fibres resulting in a product which not only has strength but is biodegradable.