Organic Style Ltd, a rapidly growing eco–lifestyle company with e–commerce, wholesale and media divisions, purchases Coyuchi, Inc., a premium Organic and Fair Trade bed & bath brand. Read more here.

Founded in 1991 by Christine Nielson, who was recently named by Ode Magazine as "a true environmental pioneer", Coyuchi was the first company to market high quality organic cotton bedding. Coyuchi specializes in Certified Organic & Fair Trade bed linens, blankets, towels, robes, sleepwear, baby clothing and home accessories, selling in 300+ specialty retailers, spas and hotels, including the Hana Maui Hotel, Post Ranch Inn and Triton Hotel (Kimpton Group).

Changing Lives with Fair Trade Cotton
At the beginning of 2008, Coyuchi began to only purchase cotton from the Chetna Project, an organization devoted to growing fair trade, certified organic cotton. The Chetna Project empowers and improves the lives of marginalized peasant farmers who cultivate cotton on a small scale. All Chetna-produced cotton is not only certified as organic, but also fair trade, a distinction that benefits farmers in a number of ways:

• Fair trade organic cotton sells for about 70% more than conventional cotton.
• Child labor is non-existent and workers are paid a fair wage.
• Farmers' organizations are democratic and transparent.
• Community development is encouraged through projects related to health, education, and revolving credit.
• Exchanges of agricultural information and training are ongoing.
• Groups have access to better markets and can often sell direct to manufacturers, eliminating the middleman.
• Farmers become partners in the buisness chain, no longer depending on traders.
• Fair trade practices strictly prohibit the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) while promoting integrated farm management systems that improve soil fertility.
• Fair trade cotton is grown without harmful agrochemicals using environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect peoples' health and preserve valuable ecosystems.

As Coyuchi grew into a successful business it seemed appropriate to its founder to begin giving back to those who make Coyuchi's product lines possible: the farmers who grow the organic and Fair Trade certified cotton. Inspired by the work of Marion Weber, Christine began a collaboration with the Chetna Project on Coyuchi's first philanthropic endeavor, affectionately referred to as The Cow Project.

It Takes Six Villages/The Cow Project
Although Chetna trains and supports its members in organic growing practices, the farmers are missing some essentials - most importantly, livestock. Cows and bullocks provide the manure for making compost; their urine is collected, fermented, and applied to cotton plants as a concentrated soure of nitrogen and natural pesticide. Meanwhile, the cows' milk supplements family diets and provides an additional source of income. On average, the calves born each year contribute more than 3,000 rupees, or $75, to the the groups of farmers and their families.

Together, Chetna and Coyuchi have developed a pilot program with the aim of acquiring 91 cows and constructing 10 cowsheds for six villages as well as building shelters to help lengthen their life expectancy.

Shop Organic Style's Coyuchi Collection.