Chadd Besaw is a Grocery Buyer at Hunger Mountain Co-op, working here for over 14 years now. Chadd began woodworking in high school when he found a passion for building things from his imagination. Everything he did had his own artistic twist to it. After high school, Chadd focused on other areas and didn’t get back into woodworking until many years later, when he started building wooden toys, toy chests, jewelry boxes, etc., for his children. From there, his woodworking business grew as many of his friends and coworkers took interest in what he was doing.

“I owe a huge thanks to my friend Mary Trafton, who was the first to take interest and ordered a bookcase for her crystals. She loved it so much, that I have now built her five of them! she became the reason why I expanded and kept building.”

Chadd creates his artistic and elegant woodcraft from trees he cuts down and then cut into boards. He can then see the artistic flow of the wood and it either inspires him for an artistic project, or he saves it until it is handpicked for just the right build. He also makes artistic furniture, pyrography (wood burned wall plaques), and wooden cellphones for kids with their favorite characters burned onto it.

He is forever expanding what he does with no limits to his imagination. Chadd says that custom work is where his heart is and being able to have an idea, turn it into a vision, and then create it!

Visit the Co-op’s Café throughout the month of March to see Chadd’s woodwork.