Every Story Has a Beginning

Originally founded in 2014 by Chris MacLean as The Highland Slate Workshop, the business began with a focus on beautifully crafted house signs, hearths, and tableware, meeting a growing demand for high-quality engraved slate.

Specialising in traditional V-cut engraving, the workshop quickly built a reputation for precision, craftsmanship, and attention to detail, producing bespoke pieces for a wide range of clients — from energy suppliers to prestigious royal building openings.

After four years of engraving stone, Chris had built a strong reputation for taking on complex and unusual requests, always going the extra mile to achieve the result each client was looking for.

As word of his craftsmanship grew, so did the variety of projects. Clients began asking for more than engraved slate, bringing requests for personalised bottles, quaichs, light switches, swords, and many other bespoke items. This marked the beginning of a wider creative journey, expanding the business beyond slate while keeping the same focus on precision, quality, and attention to detail.

During this time, life outside the workshop was changing too. In 2018, our English Springer Spaniel, Caesar, joined the family and quickly became a constant presence by Chris’s side. Then, in 2020, Chris got married, marking another important chapter personally as the business continued to grow and evolve.

After twelve years of focusing primarily on slate, while only engraving other materials when requested, we reached a point where it felt time to evolve. Our work had grown far beyond where it began, and we wanted to create a brand that reflected the full range of materials, products, and possibilities we now offer.

While The Highland Slate Workshop represented our beginnings, the name had become increasingly restrictive as our craftsmanship expanded into glass, metal, wood, acrylic, ceramics, and more. A rebrand felt long overdue.

Over the years, much has changed since those early days — but one of the biggest changes in our lives came from our English Springer Spaniel, Caesar, who can usually be found by Chris’s side throughout the day. With that connection in mind, Earrach was born — taken from the Gaelic word for “Springer”.

Earrach allows us to move forward with a name that reflects who we are today: a business built on craftsmanship, quality, and precision, but also one grounded in nature, personal meaning, and the people — and companions — who matter most.