Our Shelves
The shelves at New Leaf aren’t an afterthought. Every product we stock has been chosen because it tells a story worth telling — about Cambodian craft, responsible production, or social enterprise. When you buy something here, you’re taking a piece of that story home.
Somphors
Somphors started making candles in September 2022, turning her rented room into a small laboratory — experimenting with fragrance ratios, wick combinations and wax blends until she found what worked. Her candles combine beeswax, sourced from a farm in Kampong Cham Province, with coconut wax — a blend she chose because it burns cleanly, purifies the air and releases scent gently. The coconut and vanilla is her favourite.
Her coasters are made from palm wood sourced from a workshop in Krovan Village, inside the Angkor Wat area — one of the most Cambodian addresses imaginable. Her bracelets are handmade with the same attention to material and craft.
Somphors has been selling at the Made in Cambodia market for over two years and also connects us to a village artisan near Siem Reap who weaves water hyacinth — an invasive weed that chokes the Tonle Sap lake — into beautiful and ecologically meaningful products.
“My products are made with love and creativity from good local artisans from all over Cambodia.”
— Somphors
OTA — Off Track Accessories
OTA Cambodia is a women-led collective making handmade bags and accessories from upcycled tyres and tubes. Every piece is made by hand — creating local employment, empowering women and turning a waste problem into something worth carrying.
Morodok Ceramics
Morodok creates handmade pottery using traditional Khmer techniques and an all-Cambodian team based in Siem Reap. If you’ve eaten here, you’ve already used their work — our plates and bowls are made by Morodok. The decorative pieces on our shelves come from the same hands and the same philosophy: Cambodian craft made properly, made to last.
Was Waste
Glass recycling barely exists in Cambodia. Was Waste collected glass bottles and upcycled them into new products — your water glass at the table is one example. Though Was Waste has since closed, we continue to use and stock their products as a reminder of what creative environmental thinking looks like in practice.
Bumblebee
BumbleBee Cambodia Soap is a Phnom Penh social enterprise producing handcrafted soaps and natural skincare in small batches. Simple, effective ingredients, minimal packaging, responsibly made. Each product supports dignified local employment and a more sustainable approach to everyday skincare.
Books
New Leaf has always had books. You can read them here over a coffee or buy them second-hand to take on the road. We donate children’s books to school libraries in Siem Reap province — most recently in late 2024 — because access to books matters as much as access to classrooms.