Organic mattress maker offers industry a breath of fresh air
David Perry, Executive editor -- Furniture Today, January 26, 2009
Walt Bader swung the metal doors open to reveal the ozone chamber in his ultra-clean mattress factory. I stepped inside amid shelves holding rolls of certified organic cotton batting, and was greeted — literally — with a breath of fresh air. It was, Bader said, the wonderful smell that Mother Nature leaves after a thunderstorm.
I was in Yuba City, Calif., surrounded by rich farmlands, in the heart of a unique mattress factory devoted to producing high-quality organic mattresses untainted by chemicals or irritants. That is the mission of OMI, a company begun by Bader and his wife in 2002.
Today the 50,000-square-foot eco-factory, as the company calls it, is setting the standard in purity for consumers who want to live more natural and healthier lives, according to Bader. It produces the company's flagship OrganicPedic brand.
Don't even think about wearing perfume or cologne on the factory floor; fragrances are banned. I was forced to do without my usual splash of Hai Karate (just a little attempt at humor). Seriously, Bader is adamant about maintaining a pristine factory. Foreign substances like fragrances or smoke aren't welcome. Bader grew up with a sensitivity to chemicals and is determined to produce mattresses and sleep accessories of the purest nature.
Bader, a former marketing teacher, says there can be no half-measures in his fight for purity. So he buys the best organic and natural materials, uses his ozone sanitation chamber to ensure that molds, yeasts and bacteria don't find their way into his mattresses, and operates a super-clean factory. And he submits his products, processes and factory to a bevy of stringent certification programs to ensure they meet the highest purity standards.
But how do the beds fare on the comfort scale? I liked the feels of the layers of latex, wool and cotton.
OMI does a lot of things differently from other mattress companies. That even extended to the way Bader hosted my visit. I had breakfast in the showroom with the entire senior management team, chatting over broccoli quiche and blueberry muffins, and then spent hours talking about the company and its mission. Bader said he wanted to include his entire team in the interviews because he has an open management style.
OMI operates out of two former fruit processing warehouses. The company has established a home in Yuba City, sharing the land with peaches and prunes and also occupying a niche amid the crowded landscape of mattress companies. It's that breath of fresh air that invigorates this company.
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