JL Productions

Sometimes, things come together at just the right moment and something beautiful is created. This is what happened when Luke Thema and Jessica Martin, a young couple living and working in Sarasota County, combined their shared loves of craftsmanship, carpentry, and environmental protection. JL Productions Custom Woodcrafts was born.

“JL Productions evolved out of our passions,” said Luke. “We both have degrees in environmental science and a history of woodworking in our families. When we first met, those simple details really brought us closer.”

When Luke and Jessica moved in together, they decided to build all of their own home furniture. Through this process, they started creating cutting boards from scrap pieces of wood. When friends and family saw the boards, the requests started pouring in. A weekend hobby quickly turned into a small business.

The pieces that JL Productions creates are not only exquisitely designed and beautifully executed, but they are recycled, and sustainably produced. “Our mission is to incorporate our love of the environment and its preservation into our products,” the couple said. “It’s the driving factor in us only using recycled and upcycled materials.”

Luke and Jessica source their wood from local carpenters and retailers, who gratefully part with their unusable remnants. When JL Productions needs to purchase materials from local mills, they only pull from the scrap bin.

So how is one of these beautiful pieces created?

After choosing a combination of wood remnants that works for their desired shape, Luke and Jessica decide on a pattern and cut the material to size. They clean the wood impeccably to ensure that glue will bond correctly, then spread the glue, clamp the wood (the most tedious part), and wait 24 hours for the glue to dry. Both sides of the board are then planed carefully, and a second cut is made to clean up the raw sides. An edge detail is added—either rounded or beveled—and several sessions of sanding follow. The board is finished with multiple coats of food-grade mineral oil and a burned JL brand. A unique board takes about a week to make, start to finish.

“The process itself is cathartic, but the best part is seeing the end result,” said Jessica. “It is amazing to see what we start with and what we finish with. It is a true transformation!”

Luke and Jessica both have full-time jobs, but they consider JL Productions as their passion project. They plan to continue to grow the young company and create a strong presence in our community. “We would like to continue to use our products to help benefit the local community; our business gives us the means to donate in ways that we otherwise could not.”

JL Productions did just that in September 2018 when they supported pediatric cancer research by providing boards for the guests at Boards for Bravery: A Charity Charcuterie Event.

> To view some of their gorgeous pieces, visit them on Instagram (@ JLProductionsCustomWoodcrafts).