Anderillium Flies on Gossamer Wings

This family-run ink brand proves you don't have to be big to have a big impact.

- NICKY PESSAROFF

Bert Anderson is a high school chemistry and biology teacher with a decades-long passion for fountain pens. In 2019, Bert-a long-time ink-making hobbyist-his mother, Karen, and Tania Meixner (Karen's daughter and Bert's sister) created Anderillium Ink.

Through a strong presence at pen shows and a reputation for creating exceptional, ecologically-friendly fountain pen inks, this family business has taken off like a butterfly in flight. This summer marks the release of Anderillium's third collection of eight inks, Lepidopteran, joining the prior Cephalopod and Avian collections.

Recently, PW Editor-in-Chief NICKY PESSAROFF sat down with Bert and Karen for a wide-ranging interview.

Nicky Pessaroff (NP): First things first: where does the name "Anderillium" come from?

Bert Anderson (BA): "Anderson Inks" honestly sounded kind of generic, and good luck getting Google to find us with that name! 1 changed it up because of the periodic table. Element names such as Beryllium, Plutonium, or Einsteinium always rang well in my ear. They're words that sound like how science should sound. So, I made one of my own name and played around with it until it sounded right. Anderillium is a silly word that was just made up to be a unique, science-sounding name for the company.

NP: One of the most interesting aspects of your brand is the fact that it's a family affair. Karen, what is it like to work with your children on this project?