Meet the gundi

If you have looked at our bags, our lorries or our website, you will have noticed a small, fluffy creature in a green hood peering out at you. People ask about it a lot. Is it a hamster? A guinea pig? A very small member of the Merry Men?

It is a gundi, and I would like to introduce it properly.

What is a gundi?

Gundis are small rodents of the family Ctenodactylidae, native to North Africa. The best-known species, the North African or common gundi, lives in the rocky, arid country of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. The name of the family comes from a Greek phrase meaning “comb finger”, because their hind feet have stiff bristles of hair that are thought to help with grooming.

Some facts we find irresistible:

• They are compact and fluffy. Adults are typically around 15 to 20 cm long, with soft, dense fur, large dark eyes, small rounded ears and almost no visible tail.
• They live among rocks. Gundis shelter in crevices and boulder fields, squeezing into gaps that predators can’t reach.
• They are noisy for their size. They communicate by chirping, whistling and thumping their feet. A gundi that spots a threat will call an alarm, and the rest of the colony disappears into the rocks.
• They barely drink. Gundis get most of the water they need from the plants they eat, and are well adapted to dry conditions.
• They sunbathe. In cold desert mornings they climb out onto warm rocks and bask until their body temperature rises. As the day hots up, they retreat to the shade. Later, they huddle together for warmth.

Strictly speaking, we are not experts, and if you want to learn more, zoos and wildlife organisations are better guides than a pellet company.

Why a desert rodent for a warmth company?

It does sound like an odd choice. A creature from one of the hottest places on Earth, representing a company that sells fuel for the English winter.

But think about the gundi’s day. It starts cold. It wakes up, finds a warm spot in the sun, and sits in it. It knows exactly where warmth is and how to get it. It huddles with its neighbours when the temperature drops. It conserves resources, wasting little. In the heart of the desert, it has worked out how to be comfortable.

That is the sort of attitude we want in a heating company. Warmth is a basic need, and the people who understand it best are those who respect it. Also, we thought a gundi on a bag was funnier than another flame.

The hood

The hood is Lincoln green, the traditional colour of Sherwood Forest outlaws. Nottingham has a long relationship with a certain hooded archer, and we wanted a nod to it without putting a quiver on a rodent. There is a rumour that our gundi steals from the rich to give to the cold, but please don’t quote us.

In truth, the hood also reminds us of what we do. We take what would be thrown away, offcuts, shavings, sawdust, and turn it into something that warms people.

The people behind the gundi

We are a team of about two dozen, based at The Fuel Works in Bulwell. A few names you may meet:

• Chris, our founder and CEO, a former sawmill engineer. He still thinks he can hear a faulty die from the car park.
• Margaret (me) runs marketing and the website, and is responsible for the gundi’s wardrobe.
• Phoebe, our Finance Director, who keeps the numbers in line.
• Sebastian looks after trade accounts and tenders.
• Winston runs goods-in, the weighbridge and despatch.
• Adam keeps our systems and website up and running.
• Raj and Jo lead process development and the lab.
• Dave and Kasia run production, with a team that takes pride in the mill’s three pellet lines and a briquette press.
• Tom drives one of our blower tankers, and knows more back lanes in Nottinghamshire than any satnav.
• Priya looks after credit control, part-time.

Our production lines have names too, taken from the Merry Men, as does our dryer, “the Sheriff”. We are told this is unusual in manufacturing. We think it is the best idea we’ve had.

Say hello

You will see the gundi more over the coming months, on bags, vans and in the blog. If you have a story about keeping warm, or a question about what we do, please get in touch. And if you ever happen to see an actual gundi, in the Atlas Mountains perhaps, give it our regards.

Gundi Ltd is a fictional demo company created by ThinkingOrchestra.com.