It was the year of 1992 when in an industrial city of Bishkek, the beautiful capital of Kyrgyz Republic – “Heaven for Organics”; seven siblings put their first bale of sheep wool into process and manufactured their first bedding products. During then they had one inspired mission: bring a woolen industry of Kyrgyz Republic to the World level.
Today more than 20,000 comforters, 20,000 sheet sets, 5,000 pillows, 3,000 mattress pads can be produced monthly at the Sleep and Beyond manufacturing plants spread throughout the beautiful mountainous Kyrgyz Republic. We can proudly say that we are doing our job great and will continue to improve the quality of our products, expand our markets and bring healthier natural bedding products to you and your family.
ADVANTAGES OF USING WOOL:
The organic merino wool filled comforters from Sleep and Beyond offers many advantages over Down and Synthetic Comforters.
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CERTIFICATION
Organic wool production is a whole chain of rules and regulations set by NOP, the National Organic Program of the USDA that needs to be strictly followed in order to get the wool fiber certified organic. Some of the crucial and important criteria for organic wool production vs. conventional wool production are using organic feed, producing the wool without the use of pesticides and herbicides, taking care of the animals without synthetic medicine, paying strict attention to how many animals can be grazed on a particular land area, and independent, third-party certification as well as lab testing to ensure we’re meeting all those requirements.
The National Organic Program requires accurate and comprehensive documentation of each step on the farm to assure organic traceability. Overall, the whole organic wool production chain must be certified by an independent third party certification agency accredited by USDA to have the wool fiber labeled as organic. In addition to pasture and sheep monitoring, we send a sample of our organic wool and wool products to
WOOLMARK, an international independent and reputable certification agency in England, and Associated Laboratories in Pasadena, California, for chemical testing. When a product carries a WOOLMARK label, you can be confident of quality, performance and value for your money. Only licensed manufacturers can use the WOOLMARK label. WOOLMARK guarantees fiber content and has provided quality assurance for over four decades.
This is the list of our certifications:
USDA NOP, WOOLMARK, OKO TEX 100, CONTROL UNION, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards), ISO 9001, and ASSOCIATED LABS.
Sleep and Beyond: Visionique Certified Organic Comforters:
Our exclusive product line is considered to be the World’s First USDA NOP, WOOLMARK, OKO TEX 100, CONTROL UNION, GOTS, ISO 9001, and ASSOCIATED LABS certified organic. It has been tested to be completely free of nasty carcinogenic chemicals, arsenic, and VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). These chemicals are found in regular bedding and may cause allergies and asthma. Filled with fine silky certified organic merino wool and covered under luxurious great for skin certified organic cotton sateen, our comforters are great alternatives to down and polyester bedding at affordable prices. Feel the merino difference: the length, the softness, and the finesse of the fiber that no other can compare to.
PURCHASING:
*Purchase the full range directly from Sleep and Beyond: www.sleepandbeyond.com
BEFORE BUYING ANY WOOL PRODUCT:
Sleep and Beyond encourages shoppers to do their research before they buy any type of bedding and shift to organic, eco-friendly, recyclable, fair trade products.
“Those products might cost a bit more because of the higher cost of raw materials; however, they are much better return for their money and overall health. Organic industry is a fair trade, sustainable industry from start to finish that is creating hundreds of equal paid jobs every year. It is good for you and for the planet!”
Success Through Play™ comments:
We are very pleased to introduce you to Sleep and Beyond, a company which produces beautiful, eco-friendly merino wool products, which have been thoroughly tested to ensure that they are free of harmful chemicals. Usually, when a company decides to submit their products for certification, they will often select one certification association. Sleep and Beyond has chosen to have their products certified by several top notch certification associations, which is a true testament to the companies integrity and commitment to producing the safest products for you and your family. It has been our great pleasure to communicate with Sleep and Beyond; they responded quickly to our inquiries and have proved themselves to be a very reputable company.
The vast majority of merino wool in this world comes from Australia, where a cruel procedure called “mulesing” is commonly performed on the sheep, in an attempt to “reduce the incidence of flystrike on merino sheep.” The merino wool from Sleep and Beyond comes from merino sheep who graze the beautiful mountainous Kyrgyz Republic, where flystrike is not a concern due to the cold location, thus mulesing is NOT performed on these sheep.
Many wool products on the market are of poor quality and contain harmful chemicals. The organic merino wool from Sleep and Beyond is in a completely new category and is THE leading producer of healthy merino wool products the world over. Sleep and Beyond have coined the term “WoolGanique™” which is “our exclusive certified organic merino wool fiber used as a filling for our Visonique™ collection. It is grown on our merino sheep and is one of the top finest, softest, and purest wool fibers available in the wool market.
Wool has inherent properties which make it a desirable commodity. Wool does not attract dust mites, mold or mildew, making it ideal for use in bedding products. Wool regulates body temperature by ensuring the body gets to a comfortable sleeping temperature more quickly and stays there for longer.
Sleep and Beyond sent us a King Size Organic Wool Comforter for this article and we pleased to share our experience with this product.
The comforter is beautifully made and suitable for year round use. The comforter is made from USDA & WOOLMARK certified organic superfine merino wool fiber which is enclosed in a luxurious certified organic cotton sateen, 300TC fabric. It arrives with a handy travel/storage bag which resembles a backpack, complete with 2 straps for easy transport! With proper care, these merino wool comforters can be passed down from generation to generation, making it a worthwhile and healthy investment.
Our testers shared their experience with this comforter:
“I have difficulty getting a full nights sleep. I wake up in the middle of the night because I am too warm and then a few hours later because I am too cold and it goes back and forth, leaving my exhasuted when my alarm clock wakes me up. I had been using a synthetic comforter up until now and realize that this has been contributing to my poor nights sleep. I was very eager to test out the Sleep and Beyond Comforter and most impressed to learn about the unique properties of their Woolganique. From the very first night that I slept under the cover, I immediately noticed a difference in my comfort and quality of sleep. I wouldn’t awaken during the night, because I found that my body was kept at a nice comfy temperature. The comforter feel very luxurious and vastly superior to the synthetic one that I had used up until now. While it is more expensive compared to the synthetic comforter, it allows me a full nights sleep, which is priceless. Sleep is vitally important to your health and having a poor nights sleep, on a regular basis can be very damaging to your health. I attribute the Sleep and Beyond Merino Wool Comforter to helping me regularly attain a great nights sleep. The comforter is Oeko-Tex certified and has met additional certifications, which assures me that this comforter is free of harmful chemicals, which gives me one less thing to worry about. This product is superbly made and of the highest quality and I will be proud to pass this comforter down to the next generation. Thank you Sleep and Beyond.”
“Up until this point, I had been using a down comforter. I had recently read a study which pointed out that down feathers have naturally occurring bacteria which can aggravate respiratory problems. As we are heading into peak allergy season, where pollen counts are at their highest, I didn’t want to take any chances. I was delighted to test the Organic Comforter. What immediately struck me is the heirloom quality feel about the Visionique comforter. It is very well made and of a very high quality. Despite the fluctuating temperatures outside, I stayed stable under the comforter and I loved the sensation of the organic cotton against my skin. Organic cotton is soft and luxurious and I think that everyone deserves to sleep in comfort. The soft merino filling was pure heaven and I am pleased to report that along with preventative measures such as sinus rinsing, I am tackling the allergy season head on and have experienced very little discomfort, which is a marvelous achievement for me. I can rest easy knowing that wool does not attract dust mites, mold or mildew which means better health for me. Thank you!”
Sleep and beyond will be offering an organic cotton cover for the comforter, along with additional wool products in the coming months. A cover is recommended, to keep the comforter clean. Airing wool in the sunlight for a few hours every few months is recommended. Alternatively, if you live near an eco-friendly dry cleaner, wool can be cared for this way, however it must never be washed.
Sleep and Beyond will be expanding their merino wool line to offer additional high quality, healthy wool products including:
Organic Felted Merino Wool Cell Phone Case, Organic Felted Merino Wool Universal/ Carry Case, Organic Felted Merino Wool, Universal Phone Case, Organic Felted, Merino Wool Round Hat “Dopy”, Organic Felted Merino Wool Cap, Organic Felted Merino Wool, Bag, Medium Size Organic Felted Merino Wool Bag-Large Size, Organic Felted Merino Wool Baby Shoes and Organic Felted Merino Wool Slippers
Sleep and Beyond has a terrific website where you can learn more about their products. Visit www.sleepandbeyond.com for further info.
Photographs used with permission from Sleep and Beyond.