Our Story

The idea for Barrel Buddy came from a camping trip. A friend of mine started cutting food directly on the blue barrel lid. Apparently, that was pretty common. I watched plastic shavings getting into the food and noticed how chewed up the lid was from years of this. I looked at the recessed lid and thought: why doesn't anyone make a cutting board that fits in here? It would sit perfectly.

That was the idea. And then I sat on it for a few years.

When I finally decided to build it, it took a lot of iterations to get right. The first version had a steel core embedded in the wood and a magnet under the lid. I wanted the board to stay on top while you used it and tuck underneath for storage. It sounded great in theory, but strong magnets cause problems with phones, credit cards, and electronics, and embedding steel made the board weak because there wasn't enough wood on either side of the insert.

I also tried velcro, but it made one side of the board unusable and was awkward in practice.

In the end, the best version was the simplest one. A hardwood cutting board, precision-cut to drop into the recessed lid and sit slightly proud, so you can use your cutting board without slicing your lid. No magnets, no velcro, no attachment system. Just a board that fits. Both sides are usable, it's treated with our homemade food-grade finish, and you can make it yours with a custom engraving.

We were the first to bring this product to market, and as far as we know, the first to come up with the idea. We're pretty proud of that.