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Company |
Yellow Leaf, LLC |
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http://www.yellowleafhammocks.com |
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Founded: |
06/01/2010 |
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City: |
Boston, Massachusetts |
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Country: |
United States |
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CEO: |
Joe Demin |
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Founders: |
Joe Demin |
| Category: |
eCommerce |
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Funding: |
Bootstrapping |
| Tags: |
Hammocks, Relaxation, Sustainability |
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Employees: |
2-5 |
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What does Yellow Leaf, LLC do?
Yellow Leaf aims to use social entrepreneurship to help endangered ethnic groups secure a footing into the future- all from the comfort of a hammock.
We sell luxurious, high-quality hammocks handmade by members of Thailand’s Mlabri Tribe. Less than a decade ago, the Mlabri people were impoverished, working in slavelike conditions and in danger of extinction.
How are they different?
Our products aim to create a reciprocal relationship, which we call Double Wellness: positive social change for the manufacturer and a positive impact on the consumer’s psyche. Yellow Leaf Hammock owners are not only providing for their own wellness, but the well-being of the weavers and their community who, in turn, have been provided with a chance to secure their own future.
A series of serendipitous events led to the help of a Swiss textile engineer, who taught villagers basic business savvy and helped them adapt their natural weaving skills into specially engineered hammock weaves. All our hammocks are lightweight (weighing between 1 and 2.8 lbs), easy to hang (hooks or loops attached), and are portable (each hammock comes in a travel size bag made of recycled parachutes).
Each hammock is hand-woven, with some hammocks using over 2-miles of weatherproof yarn looped into more than 150,000 links and taking up to 15 days to weave. In addition, their luminescent array of colors and design make these hammocks truly functional art-work.
To put it more simply, we offer the most comfortable hammocks on the market.
Why could Yellow Leaf, LLC be BIG?
We offer the perfect retreat! Relaxing in a hammock for even a short break is a great way for our customers to connect with nature or clear their minds.
Creating and selling these high quality hammocks has proven the Mlabri’s key to establishing financial independence. Just think, a school was created for kids that previously never went to school…from hammocks! A man had a heart surgery, because hammocks allowed him to have the healthcare to do so. Just four years ago, the Mlabri were finally recognized and granted Thai citizenship! The first road to the village was paved! Some villagers even have solar power on their roof!
They have even begun to train and employ members of surrounding villages, paying forward the benevolence that liberated them and creating a ripple effect in the regional economy. We hope to continue this success by expanding into the U.S. market.
How they plan to make money:
Yellow Leaf operates under the Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, Profit, which captures an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational (and societal) success: economic, ecological and social. Weavers are paid double the local Thai wage and our pricing allows everyone across the supply chain to benefit from this Triple Bottom Line.
We’re taking the time to grow organically while working through kinks, testing production capacity and preparing to scale up as the hammocks popularity grows in the coming year. We are focusing on developing a strong community of Yellow Leaf hammockers and will begin to implement more broad-scale initiatives. We have also begun to reach out to establish key alliances and sponsorship opportunities for the long term. Founder and Chief Relaxation Officer, Joe Demin is building a board of advisors to round out his expertise in international trade, legal matters and humanitarian work.
Our thoughts:
No thoughts at the moment. Very interesting!
