Tag: Made in the USA

Categories
Made in the USA Miscellaneous

Labor Day Fun Facts & Contest

Labor Day is not just for sales (although we like them too).  It is a day to honor the American Labor Movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well being of our great country.  In addition, Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer.
CozyPure is not your typical retail establishment!  We will commemorate the Labor Day holiday with a sale that will run September 2-6 but our physical store will be closed Monday so that our employees can relax!  Hopefully you’ll be off work too and can shop our sale online from the comfort of your own home or on the road during that last summer vacation!  While shopping this Labor Day at CozyPure.com remember that you are also supporting American workers by purchasing items that are handcrafted right here in the USA!

Labor Day Fun Facts

1.  The first celebrated US Labor Day was on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City, planned by the Central Labor Union.
2.  10,000 workers marched from City Hall all the way to 42nd Street and then met with their families in Wendel’s Elm Park for a picnic, concert, and speeches.
3.  Canada is said to have originated the idea of hosting a day honoring the labor movement. In 1872, they held a “Nine-Hour Movement” to show support for striking workers.
4.  There is disagreement about who actually proposed Labor Day as a holiday. Some say it was Peter J. McGuire, who was the cofounder of the American Federation of Labor. Others believe that it was Matthew Maguire, a machinist.
5.  Oregon was the first state to celebrate Labor Day as a legal holiday in 1887.
6.  The decision to make Labor Day the first Monday of September was approved on June 28, 1894.
7.  Labor Day started as a part of the labor union movement, to recognize the contributions of men and women in the US workforce, but modernly is seen as a chance to celebrate the last weekend of summer.
8.   Americans worked 12-hour days seven days a week during the 19th century!
9.   The Adamson Act was passed on September 3, 1916 to establish an eight-hour work day.
10.  Historians say the expression “no white after Labor Day” comes from when the upper class would return from their summer vacations and stow away their lightweight, white summer clothes as they returned back to school and work.
11.  There is still a Labor Day parade in New York City, which takes place throughout the 20 blocks north of the 1882 labor march.

Source:  DoSomething.org (link https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-labor-day)

Labor Day “Trivia”

Our Labor Day Trivia Contest is easy!
Every CozyPure pillow is a LABOR of love
and handcrafted by American Workers
in our Norfolk Virginia workshop.
So here’s your question:

Which CozyPure pillow do you like the most and why?

You can browse our pillows by clicking here.
Submit your answer on our Contact Us page located here.

One lucky winner will be randomly chosen
at the conclusion of the Labor Day Sale and
receive a $50 Cozy Cash Gift certificate!


Good luck and have a relaxing and safe holiday!

Categories
Customer Reviews Made in the USA Organic Mattress & Bedding Products & Sales

Handcrafted in the USA

http://https://youtu.be/d-gB14lLYBc

In observance of the holiday, CozyPure kicked off our annual Made in the USA sale during the 4th of July weekend. For the last couple of weeks we’ve had orders pouring in for natural latex mattresses, Made in America linens and handcrafted pillows and blankets. Customers love this sale because they can save money on their favorite CozyPure products, we love this sale because it is the perfect time for us to remind consumers that their order is made fresh daily in our Norfolk, VA workshop. We’ve always been committed to using sustainable and organic materials, but we’re also dedicated to USA manufacturing. In fact, the entire CozyPure® brand of products proudly carries the Made in the USA label.World-News-Tonight

“When you seek out American-made goods, you foster American independence.” – Top Ten Reasons to Buy American, www.madeinusaforever.com

CozyPure® is one of the American manufacturing companies featured on the ABC World News Tonight “Made in America” list.

When writing reviews for CozyPure on Shopper Approved  our customers often mention the fact that our products are Made in America. It is important to them and important to us. Here’s a few examples:

  • “I’m a repeat customer to Cozypure. Haven’t had the opportunity to experience their mattresses just yet, but am completely in love with the Lanoodle pillows! I’m placing a third order to give to some family members. I also love that all products are made in the USA.” -Eileen
  • “I am so glad I found this company. I love to find organic products made in the USA. we are saving up to buy a king size mattress now!” -Valerie
  • “Very easy to navigate through your site and I’m glad to know that your products are made here in the US!” -Moises

CozyPure’s Sales & Service Manager, Susan Brown, knows her customers love a good sale but that’s not the reason they shop at CozyPure.  “Today’s consumer is more savvy than ever.  They want to know the source of the products that they are bringing into their homes and exposing their families to.  They want sustainable, healthy and chemical free materials next to their children.  At CozyPure, we deliver that.  The fact that our products are made right here in the USA is the cherry on top.  Finding American made products has become a most arduous task.  We at least have them covered in the bedroom, which is, essentially the most important space in the home since we spend 1/3 of our lives there.”

usaCozyPure’s Made in the USA sale is  continuing through the end of July.  Shop online at www.CozyPure.com, via phone at 1-800-229-7571 or in our Norfolk, VA showroom.

Now that we’ve established that CozyPure’s latex mattresses and organic bedding is all made right here in the good ol’ U. S. of A., our next article will delve deeper in to the “making” of latex mattresses. You deserve to know what’s inside and we’ve never been afraid to tell you!

Categories
Made in the USA Miscellaneous Natural Bedroom Natural Fibers News Coverage Organic Mattress & Bedding Woman-Owned

As Seen on TV – Behind the Scenes at CozyPure Mattress Factory

Cheryl Hahn being interviewed by Cheryl Tan for HR Business Weekly.

There’s never a boring moment here at CozyPure.  Some days you come in to a ton of online orders, some days you are swamped with customers in our Norfolk, VA showroom, and some days it’s “lights, camera, action,” fortunately for me the latter isn’t too often. Today we were visited by Cheryl Tan and her camera crew to do a segment for HR Business Weekly, a 30 minute show produced by WVEC ABC13 and their partners, that serves as a resource and voice for entrepreneurs and small to medium sized businesses in the region.

Cheryl Hahn being interviewed by Cheryl Tan for HR Business Weekly.
Cheryl Hahn being interviewed by Cheryl Tan for HR Business Weekly.

They were here to interview Cheryl Hahn, our fabulous owner, as “entrepreneur of the week.”  There is always plenty to say about our organic latex mattresses and Cheryl’s passion to her company,natural latex mattresses, organic bedding materials is inspiring to other local entrepreneurs.

 

Cheryl let us know that filming would be taking place in the workshop and showroom today and my seat in the lobby is often a hot-spot for traffic so I knew to brush my hair.  What we could not foresee is that one of our artisans would be out sick today.  When the camera is on, you naturally want everything to look it’s best and CozyPure’s workshop looks best when everyone is busy working.  So, guess who had to fill in?  That would be me, the new girl.  I’ve never operated a sewing machine in my life but for “staging purposes” I sat in front of one today and that is all I intended to do was “sit“. However, I was quickly approached by a true artisan that thought it would look even better if I was actually working and she taught me how to sew on a blanket’s binding.  I never expected to sew today and I don’t expect to sew tomorrow but I’m glad I could fill an empty seat, while the cameras were rolling at least.

Just for the cameras, I pretended to sew.
Just for the cameras, I pretended to sew.

The camera crew seemed mesmerized by our workshop bustling with activity – there is something aesthetically pleasing about seeing hands working with beautiful raw materials.  In our workshop our artisans make the finest bedding materials from all natural materials.  This behind-the-scenes look at the craftsmanship that goes in to every CozyPure mattress is sure to make a great video for the local viewing audience.  The camera crew captured the sewing of organic cotton, the tying of handmade wool comforters, even the creation of CozyPure’s exclusive LaNoodle pillows, hand filled with pure natural latex noodles.  There are much more interesting things going on in the workshop than me pretending to be a seamstress, but that was the highlight of my day nevertheless.

Written by Angela Carey, CozyPure’s newest team member.  Angela brings over 15 years of experience in sales and marketing to the CozyPure staff and is currently greeting customers, answering phones and pretending to sew when the camera is on.  

Categories
Environment Green Living Made in the USA Woman-Owned

100% Woman-Owned, Made-In-The-USA Small Business

I am woman, hear me roar. Helen Reddy’s song reached #1 on the charts in 1972. I was nine. Young enough to be influenced, according to the lyrics, that my gender had no barriers. Having a mom who owned and operated a small hair salon certainly didn’t hurt either. Of course, that’s not to say it’s been an easy road to navigate this business I’ve nurtured and nourished over the past 25 years.

Raising two beautiful kids while running my company definitely had challenges. I spent many years doing most of my work only after they went to bed, and staying up until 2 AM to make deadlines. As they got older, my schedule changed with them. Sometimes a midday school play, doctor appointment or teacher meeting. Other times, spending a whole week across the country for a swim meet. I loved the flexibility, although it was very challenging to juggle the priorities — you know, like cleaning the house. But hey, I am woman, I can roll.

Back in the early 90’s we worked with outside manufacturers to make our products for us, but then it happened … They started outsourcing. I’m passionate about made in America. So this was near and dear to my heart. If our manufacturers wanted to move operations out of the USA, then heck we’ll just do it ourselves. And so it began, our journey into manufacturing. In the beginning, I admit I wasn’t sure where to start. But thankfully I had Cris, my right-hand-lady and expert seamstress. I am woman, and I had another one by my side, so let’s rock.

I’m over the assumptions, because almost everyone assumes my company is run by a man. Going to mattress manufacturing trade shows, an industry largely dominated by men, I’m no longer surprised when suppliers direct their conversation towards Hans, my right-hand-man and customer care extraordinaire. It’s actually a great opportunity for me to gain insight of the boys’ club who assume all the women attending are assistants and receptionists. I am woman. I am invincible, not invisible.

Most of the time I’m not Wonder Woman. Every strong woman knows to surround herself with superheroes. When my family, friends and colleagues are standing by my side, I make that transformation easily. Without them, and without our loyal customers, this road I travel would be lonely and strenuous. I am woman. I am strong. But I am stronger with others.

Just like everyone, through the years I’ve had my share of tragedies and disappointments which resulted in set-backs. But I’ve learned that when you get stuck in the mud, kick it off. If that doesn’t work, take off the boots. Just keep going. Because if I have to, I can do anything. I am woman.

chahn-2015

Cheryl Hahn is Founder and CEO of CozyPure® and Organic Comfort Zone / Tomorrow’s World. Established in 1991 as a direct-to-consumer green-living home-goods vertical retailer, specializing in organic comfort bedding products. The CozyPure® workshop is located in Norfolk, Virginia where products are handcrafted and shipped all across the country.

Categories
Eco-Tips Environment Green Living Miscellaneous

Every Day is Earth Day

We like to be mindful of our environment every day around here. But some things just can’t be avoided. As green as we are in our company practices we’re still occasionally confronted with some challenges that are very “un-green” while running the business. The difference, however, is how we choose to deal with those things. First a little background.

If you’re not familiar with our company, we started out back in 1990 as one of America’s first green-living stores originally under the name Tomorrow’s World. We offered everything from compact fluorescent light bulbs to shower heads and even low-flow toilets!

catalogs
Archived catalogs

Our mail order catalogs featured clothing and bedding made from organic, sustainable fibers such as hemp and organic cotton… in fact we were one of the first retailers in the country to ship mattresses and bedding direct to the consumer.

Early 1990’s. We sold mattresses with organic materials in our catalog way before the internet

In 2011, we invested in a solar system that generates 89,400 kWh of electricity yearly.

solar
Just a portion of our solar array system

 

CozyPure® is proud to be an EPA Green-Power-Partner

http://www.cozypure.com/images/homepage/epa-green-power-partner.jpg

The lighting in our recently renovated space features 4w LED bulbs throughout the offices and showroom. The entire area of 5,000 SF uses a total equivalent of having eight lamps with 75watt light bulbs. WOOP!

showroom
We have SIXTY dimmable LED bulbs in our showroom – the equivalent of four 60 watt light bulbs

 

We upgraded all the workshop bulbs from T12 to T2. Not only are they energy efficient, they also provide a beautiful bright light that looks very similar to the natural daylight we get from the skylights in our historic early 1900 building.

t2-lights
We converted sixty fixtures from T12 bulbs (75 watts each)   to T2 bulbs (11 watts each). YOWSA!

 

In our parking lot the recycling dumpster is 3x bigger than the trash dumpster. We encourage a no-waste policy and reuse or recycle mostly everything. Paper copies are converted for note-taking (no post-its here). We collect our raw material scraps and offer to crafters at an affordable price.

batting
Why waste scraps of beautiful organic batting when someone else can use them?

 

We’ve always had plants to not only provide aesthetics in our surroundings, but to also naturally filter the air around us. Our first plant, Aggie, has been with us now for over 20 years. OK so maybe she’s really a tree (over 7 feet with yearly clippings)

office-plants
No it’s not a greenhouse or nursery, we just love plants. Oh and BTW those cool glass-wood partition walls were demoed and upcycled from their original use circa 1930 – just part of the history in our beloved 1909 building that we wanted to preserve – so yup we did that too 🙂

 

Of course, ALL of our products are made from sustainable, renewable materials such as organic rubber, organic cotton, wool, buckwheat and kapok and made in the USA. We DO NOT make CozyPure bedding from non-renewable petroleum foams or synthetics – the most common materials in conventional bedding (yup – you probably have that yucky stuff in your pillows, blankets and mattress – sorry).

organic-bedding
Wool comforters – the kind great-grandma had, you know, the kind that lasted

 

Our warehouse shelving and workshop tables are custom-made and handcrafted from FSC-certified wood.

work-tables
Oh it’s our lovely ladies who tuft, they’re pretty awesome

 

Our kitchenette was upgraded with an on-demand hot water heater. Our fridge is Euro-designed highly energy efficient. We have two antique buffets getting restored with quartz-recycled glass counter-top from Absolute Kitchen & Bath (a local kitchen contractor).  We had our floors restored to their natural finish by Hapax Concrete (another local yocal). You’ll also find temperature-control curtains we installed throughout our warehouse which retain heat and/or coolness, in addition to ceiling and exhaust fans. Heck, even our bathrooms have organic castile soap for washing our hands.

organic-soap
Soap made with certified organic oils makes hand-washing fun!

 

We don’t just say we’re green, we are green. After all actions speak much louder than words.

One of the biggest challenges we faced was waste from plastic. Many of our raw materials arrive wrapped in large plastic bags, for protection during shipping. We couldn’t recycle this type of plastic in our container, and we couldn’t find any practical way to reuse such a massive quantity of bags. Thankfully, Mr. John came to our rescue two years ago.

john-plastic
Studly Mr John gets a work out hauling all that plastic and we gals look forward to the eye candy when he comes to collect :)~

 

John volunteers his time to collect plastic bags for a local school. The bags are then recycled into plastic lumber for an assortment of furniture and decking. The school that collects the most tonnage wins and ever since we’ve been doing this “our” school (the smallest one in Norfolk) wins the contest and we suspect our contribution of plastic helps greatly, as well as Mr. John’s efforts 🙂

This Earth Day think about ways you can change your daily habits. Try small changes like taking your own bags to the market or using a refillable water bottle. You’ll be surprised how quickly it becomes a part of your daily lifestyle, not just something you do on Earth Day, after all…

GOOD PLANETS ARE HARD TO FIND

Happy Earth Day!

Are you ready to dispose of your chemical-laden, plastic-based bedding?

CozyPure offers a nice selection of everything from mattresses and toppers to comforters and linens all made from renewable, sustainable, natural and organic materials. And the annual Earth Day sale is going on through April 30th.
BE GREEN. SLEEP GREEN. SAVE GREEN.

cozypure_1

Categories
Environment Healthy Lifestyles Made in the USA Miscellaneous Organic Comfort Renewable Energy

Made In The U.S.A

At Organic Comfort Zone we pride ourselves on making all of our CozyPure® products in the U.S.A. When you decide to purchase a product that was completely made in the USA like our LaNoodle pillow versus foreign countries you will feel the highest quality of comfort.

When someone purchases a “Made in the U.S.A” product they can be fairly confident that it is safe. In America we have consumer protection laws and safety standards that protect you and your family. Some foreign countries have low safety standards. Think about how many children’s toys made overseas that ave been recalled because they have been found unsafe or toxic.

The U.S. manufacturing processes implemented here at Organic Comfort Zone are much cleaner for our environment, especially considering we generate our own energy, minimize scraps, and don’t have any chemicals on our premises. Many products produced overseas where there is no regulation, use dangerous processes that pollute our environment. We choose chemical- free organic eco-smart materials to create our CozyPure® products which provide a healthy and comfortable sleep.

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Jamar Diggs is the PR and Communications specialist for Norfolk, VA based business Organic Comfort Zone, manufacturers of CozyPure organic bedding and mattress. For more information visit organiccomfortzone.com or cozypure.com or call 757.480.8500.

Categories
Made in the USA Natural Bedroom Renewable Energy Woman-Owned

Manufacturers of organic bedding and mattresses

CozyPure® is so much more than simply a “name-only” brand. Since we are the manufacturer, we are NOT exclusive to being only a retailer, instead we’re a “vertical retailer” which means although we do retail our products direct to the consumer, we also have complete control of those products since we are also the manufacturer.

American Apparel operates under the same structure. And just like us, they too use only employees, friends and customers in their photos and advertisements. We also do virtually everything in-house: from concept and design to marketing and branding to production, packaging and shipping. We have found this is really the only way to maintain the integrity of our brand and produce products that deliver quality and value, while also providing health benefits to both people and planet.

We are NOT a private label, which is usually a stock product from a manufacturers line that has a store brand label attached.  We found two websites that state we’re private label, which of course is wrong. Just another reason to be careful what you read out there in cyberspace.

If you visit us you’ll find an abundance of natural and organic raw materials: bolts of certified organic cotton fabric, rolls of both organic cotton and wool batting, natural latex rubber cores, comfort layers, containers of kapok and buckwheat hulls, and of course thousands of LaNoodles.

You’ll notice our bright clean factory with sewing machines and cutting equipment, tufting needles and shears in all sizes, patterns and tape measures, and a floor-to-ceiling shelf packed with prototypes of products-in-the-making.

If you’re really observant you’ll see we have no waste. During patterning we spec our materials for cutting with the least amount of scrap — and even the scrap we spec to tailor towards the manufacture of other products. Waste not want not.

What really makes us unique is the fact that we’re energy-efficient and generate our own renewable energy on-site. Two huge wind turbines in the back and a full array of solar panels on our roof, tie-into our electric meter which runs backwards once we shut down our daily operations.

You can feel confident that we’re a true-green company: from our selection of raw materials, to our manufacturing practices, to our use of renewable energy. We come full-circle start to finish and don’t “just talk” about being green like SO many other manufacturers – we actually “Walk the Talk“.

Manufacturing, specifically in the mattress and bedding industry, is overwhelmingly owned and operated by the male gender; the percentage of women is lower than many other industries. Perhaps that is why some of our competitors claim we’re not manufacturers – they just can’t wrap their heads around the fact that a woman could head-up of the operations of a manufacturing factory. Of course this is only my assumption. But since they assume, I can also assume why they’re assumption is entirely inaccurate.  I wanted to write this post because when these false statements were called to my attention, I felt an obligation to “call them out”.

In case you didn’t see it, we recently made a little video showing our factory operations and posted that < here >.

I wanted to assure our customers that we are in fact the actual manufacturer of our CozyPure® products. It’s a joy for me to research the quality of materials, design with function, practicality, value and aesthetics, to provide organic comfort products that I find suitable for use with my own family. There is much to talk about here so I will save this matter and elaborate more details later since May is BETTER SLEEP MONTH and we’ll be going “under cover” to talk about bedding materials. In the meantime…

If you should have any questions or concerns about our products or our company, please be sure to give us a call during normal business hours at 800.229.7571. It is always our pleasure to serve you.

Thank you for twenty years of support.

Cheryl Hahn is the President and Founder of Organic Comfort Zone, manufacturers of CozyPure® organic mattresses and bedding and Tomorrow’s World, one of America’s first green-living stores.

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