Natura World gets first U.S. licensee , March 23, 2016 EAST WINDSOR, Conn. — Blue Bell Mattress Co., a bedding producer based here, has signed a licensing agreement with Natura World to make and distribute its mattress lines throughout the United States. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Blue Bell, a major licensee of Top 10 U.S. bedding producer King Koil, will work with Cambridge, Ontario-based Natura to develop the product lineup and the marketing and support materials for it, officials said. They plan to begin selling the products in the next 60 days. The deal will mark the return of Natura to the U.S. market after an absence of several years. “Our commitment to King Koil is unwavering, yet we have always admired the Natura brand and see it as a real opportunity to provide our retailers with a unique, well supported line of sleep products that will help them differentiate their floors and capture more market share,” said Mark Kolovson, CEO of Blue Bell.
“We see Natura as a complimentary brand to our very successful King Koil business that we plan on growing as well. The market for natural, organic and latex product is very robust and we are already seeing important interest from leading retailers to put Natura on their floors.” Natura World President Ralph Rossdeutscher founded the company in 1994 and built it into a well-known producer of natural, organic and latex products before the company encountered financial difficulties in 2012. Later that year Spring Air Sommex Corp., a Canadian bedding producer, took control of the company, but Spring Air Sommex itself filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations late last year. Rossdeutscher recently regained the rights to Natura’s intellectual property and is aiming to rebuild the brand in Canada and throughout the world using a licensing model, he said. Blue Bell is a third-generation family-owned bedding manufacturer founded in 1928. The company operates from a 200,000-square-foot facility that serves nearly 1,500 retail outlets from Maine to Florida, and as far west as Illinois.
In addition to making private label products for retailers, Blue Bell is the largest domestic King Koil licensee and has marketed that brand for nearly 50 years, officials said. Longroad Asset Management acquired a majority interest in Blue Bell in 2014, providing additional resources to expand the business. The addition of the Natura license is a part of the long-range plan Blue Bell developed as a result of that investment, officials said. Rossdeutscher said he is looking forward to working with a strong manufacturing partner in the United States to carry the brand forward. “When I decided to re-introduce the Natura brand, I wanted to follow a different strategy than our first iteration, where we were both manufacturer and marketer,” he said. “What I have learned over the years was that our strength was in product and brand development, training and marketing. I thought it best to team with strong manufacturers who could partner with us to produce the highest quality goods and we have found that in the U.S. with Blue Bell.”
Consumer Reports evaluates sofas Top 25 furniture manufacturers Tempur Sealy will sell Mattress Firm franchisees Tempur Sealy CEO offers plans in wake of Mattre... Tempur-Pedic simplifies pricing structure View All Conversation VideosSneaky tactics of mattress salesmenChoosing a mattress is an expensive decision and the last thing you want to do is spend more than you���ve budgeted. Read moreMattress buying guideYou should think about buying a new mattress if you wake up tired or achy, you tend to sleep better at hotels than at home, your mattress looks... Read moreHow to Buy a BedWalk into a mattress store and you'll be bombarded with options: plush vs.firm, foam vs. Read moreSneaky Little Ways To Save CashPhoto: Steve Mason/Getty Images Turns out the expiration or generally accepted toss-by date on certain products is total BS. Bed mattresses made up of materials like memory foam and gel foam draw heavily from chemicals to create the experience of the bed molding to your body’s shape.
Memory foam reacts chemically to your body’s temperature and creates that experience of support and comfort. However, if you’re like other consumers, you may want a mattress you can lay down on and not fear for the types of chemicals you’re inhaling or coming into contact with. Natural latex mattresses offer the same experience as memory foam but utilize an organic ingredient. Three models within the market are the Essentia Tatami Queen, Lifekind Trio and the Astrabeds SerenityBed. Natural latex is created from the sap of rubber trees specifically planted and maintained for latex and rubber production. These trees are tapped to create a regular and sustainable resource akin to maple syrup harvesting. The end result is a type of mattress support that doesn’t require the use of dangerous and toxic chemicals to create a long-lasting and always-springy bed. Many different types of mattresses exist, and latex is among the least common of these types. The unique manufacturing process, in addition to the high price tags, makes such beds difficult to happen upon in most mattress stores.
These beds aren’t as widely available as memory foam due to their rigorous manufacturing process. However, the difference of materials ultimately lends toward the mattress’ strengths and makes comparing it against regular memory foam mattresses an even more sensible process. One of the main appealing factors of the organic latex mattress over memory foam is the absence of chemical off-gassing. When you first purchase a memory foam mattress, you’ll likely notice a very strong chemical odor that reportedly fades with time, a by-product of chemical off-gassing. Latex mattresses, on the other hand, are often made without toxic chemicals or hazardous additives and thus don’t smell. In addition, due to their organic nature, the mattresses are also hypoallergenic and mold resistant, maintain their springiness after years of use and remain among the most durable mattresses on the market. When picking a latex mattress, the design of the mattress is typically the same for any bed.
Each layer is designed with holes throughout to encourage air circulation, heat reduction and moisture removal. However, the more comfortable and desirable mattresses are typically those with three or more layers of latex foam. This allows you to create varying levels of foam density for higher levels of comfort and support. While latex by itself is a natural and healthy alternative to memory foam, creating a 100-percent natural latex bed is incredibly expensive. To offset the cost of latex, many bed manufacturers create material blends that leverage the organic nature of latex with low-cost alternatives like synthetic latex, blends of natural and synthetic, and blends of natural and botanical latex. While a fully-organic latex bed may be the epitome of natural, healthy and earth-friendly mattresses, many latex beds will blend materials to create an alternative to all-natural. The best materials found in latex mattresses are that of Dunlop and Talalay latex. The Dunlop process entails whipping rubber sap into a froth, pouring it into a mold, and then baking it.
The natural materials found in rubber often settle to the bottom, resulting in latex layers being heavier on the bottom. The Talalay process adds two steps to Dunlop. After the latex is poured into a mold, the material is put in a vacuum chamber and flash-frozen before baking. The result is a latex more consistent in structure and more expensive. Of all the types of bed mattresses available to you, latex beds are reputed as the most long lasting of all mattresses. Due to the durable and breathable nature of latex, the mattress is better able to circulate air, retain spring and remain comfortable for a minimum of 10 years on average. Warranties help in protect you against product failures that might decrease the lifespan of your bed to anything shorter than that. The warranty of the mattress you choose should be sufficient to protect those first 10 years of use. The all-natural latex mattress simulates the same experience as memory foam, contouring to your body and helping reduce back pressure.