JK Adams’ 76th Anniversary Year Brings New Introductions

By Lorrie Baumann

JK Adams is celebrating its 76th anniversary this year with 35 new items, many of them contemporary updates on the company’s heritage cutting board designs. The company is continuing this year with a marketing strategy that emphasizes the gift channel, and the new collections can be seen this summer at the Las Vegas Market and the Atlanta Market.

JK Adams is bringing back its popular Dorset Blocks, which feature slots equipped with heavy duty magnets to keep knives secure while they’re stored. The company is also reintroducing its slanted knife rack in walnut – this time with a brass band around it that lends an elegant note to the contemporary feel of the rack. “We felt that if we were going to reintroduce it, it had to be special, and I think the brass accent really does that for us,” said Sharon Rishell, JK Adams’ National Sales Manager.

The new Stowe Maple Serving Tray offers bentwood handles on either side of a generously sized 18-1/2 by 12-inch tray that’s 5 inches tall. At that height, it could easily be used for a breakfast in bed or a light supper in front of the television. In the home office, it would make a docking station for a laptop computer or the family’s collection of gadget chargers. It retails for $69.95.

Leather handles adorn the Killington Boards, which are made with maple with the dark leather accent. Killington is offered in two sizes: a 14-inch by 9-inch rectangle and a 12-inch square. The Craftsbury Board is a simple maple bar board that measures 24 inches by 6 inches and will retail for around $47.

Honoring the importance of the cheese board for today’s home entertainers, JK Adams introduces two gorgeous cheese trays with channels that divide the space and offer a nesting spot for crackers. Shelburne and Mad River are both made from maple.

JK Adams is also bringing back its Butterfly Boards in both walnut and maple. These boards are reversible, with a juice groove on one side and a flat surface on the other. They’re offered in two sizes. The 18-inch by 11-inch by 1-inch board retails for around $70 in maple and around $110 in walnut. The 18-inch by 7-inch by 1-inch board retails for around $55 in maple and around $79 in walnut.

The company has partnered with New Hampshire–based Sea Stones to create contemporary serving pieces that feature stone handles. The Lake Champlain Serving Tray is made in an elegant combination of maple and walnut to offer a choice with the elegance of walnut but the friendlier price point of maple. The 18-inch by 9-inch tray retails for about $95, while the 24-inch by 12-inch tray retails for about $115.

Moving down the price spectrum, JK Adams is also bringing out three new collections of lasered appetizer boards decorated with designs of flowers, fruits and geometric patterns that are lasered into them. They’re then painted with a food-safe milk paint to bring out the design, and then the boards are finely sanded to etch off the paint outside the lasered lines. The Flowers collection includes Dahlia, Gerber Daisy and Daylily. The Fruits collection includes Limes, Apples and Cherries. The boards measure 6 inches by 8 inches and will retail for around $28.