Category: News Coverage

January 1, 2013

By Maggie Wolff Peterson

Sleeping is a dynamic enterprise. As much as it is rest for the body and mind, it is also a time of activity for both. The brain refreshes. The body moves and rearranges itself, stretching muscles and engaging joints. During a normal night’s sleep, a person loses about a quart of fluid through sweat.

So bedding matters. Natural materials that are “breathable and open” conduct body heat and evaporation better than chemically made fillers for pillows and bedclothes, says Cheryl Hahn, CEO of Virginia company CozyPure. And a pillow that properly supports the head reduces neck pressure.

CozyPure makes organic bedding and pillows filled with bits of natural latex known as “noodles.” Organic pillows can also be filled with wool or cotton, or even the fluff of kapok pods or grains of buckwheat or millet hull. The choice of fill depends on whether the user wants a firmer or softer feel, more loft or a flatter profile and hypoallergenic qualities.

Soft and Soothing
Valerie Stranix, chief marketing officer of Ontario-based Natura World (naturaworld.com), says organic wool carries natural temperature-control qualities that lead to a better night’s sleep. The company’s New Zealand-raised, pesticide-free, washable wool is “temperature neutral,” she says

“It keeps you really comfortable,” she adds. “It’s just a soothing material.” According to Stranix, wool bedding naturally lowers a sleeper’s heart rate. “It will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer,” she says. “Babies actually cry less.”

But for some people, the origin of the fill carries philosophical import. Kapok fill, according to Rachel Button at the Clean Bedroom, based in Maine, is similar to wool in feel, but involves no animals. “It’s a good vegan choice,” Button says.

Customers like to know that their bedding choices are cruelty-free and come from sustainable sources. At CozyPure, much of the latex fill comes from material recycled from the production of other bedding. Noodles are made when latex mattress toppers are perforated as part of their production process. Instead of being discarded, they become pillow fill.

They’re “basically a byproduct when they punch a hole in the natural latex,” Hahn says. “The whole idea is that all the bedding is renewable, sustainable, natural and comfortable.”

Additionally, CozyPure products are U.S.-made, in a facility that maximizes green production. Named by the U.S. Department of Energy as a zero-energy building, the plant uses wind, solar and geothermal sources onsite to create the energy it needs.

Time for New Pillows
The inexpensive pillows sold at most retailers are made with non-natural fills and covers, and “dipped in undisclosed chemicals,” Hahn says. “You don’t even know, and you’re putting your head right up in it.”

Additionally, the older the pillow, the more it has accumulated dead skin cells, dust mites, mold, mildew and fungal spores. Experts say it’s best to replace your pillow every 12 to 18 months.

Consumer awareness of healthy bedding began increasing about 15 years ago, says Stranix, as people started to evaluate what they put in and around their bodies. In addition to its organic pillows, NaturaWorld offers non-organic pillows scented with ylang ylang or lavender that provide gentle herbal relaxation, as well as pillow covers treated with aloe for softness. Some consumer experts suggest having a wardrobe of pillows, so you can rotate use. A pillow with firm support might be the choice for a sleeper with a sore neck who on another day might choose a flatter pillow for side or stomach sleeping.

Among organic selections, pillows with latex fill, Stranix says, provide “the closest thing to zero gravity for your head. Your head has pressure points just like your body.”

Like many companies, the Clean Bedroom tries to match customers to their ideal pillow. Consultants in showrooms, on the telephone and online take into account the buyer’s weight and height, the width of their shoulders, and whether they are back, stomach or side sleepers. They even ask whether the customer prefers his pillow “huggable or flat,” Button says, adding: “We ask a lot of questions.”

Selecting an organic pillow is an economical first step toward going organic entirely. “It’s the first and easiest thing to replace, and it’s what you directly put your face on,” Button says. “If you can’t change everything, change your pillow.”

November 14, 2011

By Susan Smigielski Acker

Cheryl and Richard Hahn hopped on the organic craze long before it was fashionable when they started Organic Comfort Zone 20 years ago in Norfolk’s Ocean View section.

Cheryl now runs the company of 10 employees that makes and sells the CozyPure line of bedding products. The difference between their product and others is that the inside is made of all-natural-latex products. The outside lining is all-natural fibers including cotton, she said.

“They wrinkle and we say it is good if they do because it means there is no synthetic material in them,” Hahn said. “The cotton we use is grown without pesticides and does not have any formaldehyde in it. The wool is also pure, like our grandparents had many years ago.”

People with sensitive skin find their products more tolerable although Hahn said her bedding items are not medical products so they do not make guarantees.

Their best seller is La Noodle pillow. It feels similar to a down-filled pillow except without the possibility of dust mites and other allergy-causing factors. It has naturally made “noodles” that don’t attract dust mites, something that down pillows could do.

“People like it because it moves like a down pillow,” she said.

The idea to create an organic business was her husband’s . Hahn’s background is in the textile industry, marketing for a sportswear company.

“I knew little about organic products, but I learned quickly,” she said.

The first store was in JANAF shopping center in Norfolk. They later moved to the Hilltop area to capture Virginia Beach tourists doing upscale shopping. That move brought them national attention.

“We began a catalog mailing soon after that,” she said.

Now they are mailing catalogs to about 15,000 people. When Internet shopping took off, they immediately launched a webpage – www.cozypure.com and their company grew to 10 employees.

Prices range from $32 for a small pillow to $1,900 for a mattress.

Hahn said the business took off more, but she made a conscious decision not to have it grow too fast.

“The opportunity to grow big has always been there. But I am also a mom and did not want to be at work all the time. I want to be available for my children,” she said. Her children are now teenagers.

“ We’ve enjoyed a moderate and steady growth, allowing us to expand on my time line, using our revenue towards the expansion without the need for any outside loans whatsoever.  Over the past five years we’ve been fortunate to experience 30 to 40 percent increase in our bedding sales each year. It’s great not having any huge financial debts looming over our head – especially in this economy,” she said

Hahn recently made the decision to place to place her products with other select retailers throughout the country.

“That is what I am working on, putting together point-of-purchase displays. We will also have fixed pricing.”

While many consumers purchase from their catalogs and online, Hahn recognizes many customers want to feel a bedding product before they purchase it.

When asked if the Eco friendly fad has helped business, Hahn said, “Yes, way back in the early ’90s, you did not hear a lot about it. Our consumer base has expanded but our competition is also greater.”

Recently Hahn enjoyed a sense of accomplishment while staying in a hotel.

“They had our pillows in the room,” she said.

The deal with the hotel was better than her other sales.

“That was awesome,” she said. “I slept in and it was great.”