Do you have any idea how healthy (or unhealthy) your mattress is? Considering we spend upwards of a third of our life lying on the thing, one would imagine we would have a better idea. How about how environmentally-friendly the thing is, in its manufacture or disposal? And how good a nights sleep are you getting? (You should be aiming for 8 hours.)
Peacelily is a WA-founded startup dedicated to ensuring their customers get the best night’s sleep possible.
Now based in Melbourne, their company vision reads: “We manufacture high quality, yet affordable, non-toxic products made from natural latex and covered with certified organic cotton. Our products use sustainable materials and contain no polyurethane foams, memory foams, chemical flame retardants, or harmful chemical adhesives.”
This is the first time Startup News has reported on Peacelily (previously known as ‘Fern Earth’).
The business has experienced exponential growth over recent months, thriving during the pandemic. Here are some notable milestones:
Melbourne team expansion (May 2020 – ongoing)
COVID-19 accelerated the trend towards online shopping. Many retailers were forced to adapt or go out of business.
Peacelily was one of the businesses ready to adapt and benefit from the combination of the shift to more online shopping, as well as the shift towards investing in health and choosing better quality products to complement the amount of time spent at home.
To accommodate this demand, the Peacelily team employed four new staff during the Melbourne lockdowns, reinforcing their customer service, logistics and marketing capabilities.
“Our latest recruit brings digital analytics expertise to help synergise all areas of the business. The Peacelily team is diverse – we employ staff based on their skills and expertise, with some working remotely. To date, we have staff working in Melbourne, Auckland, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Bulgaria and all are the best at what they do,” said Rea Koa, Peacelily’s brand manager.
Launch of Adjustable Bed (June 2020)
To meet market demand and complement the malleable cushioning of latex mattresses, Peacelily launched the Adjustable Bed into Australia and more recently, New Zealand. Ms Koa said the product was very popular since the launch,particularly the Split King bed for couples of all ages.
“We have positioned this product as affordable luxury to complete the sleep experience along with the mattress, topper and pillows. This resulted in the bed appealing to all ages as demonstrated in consistent sales and social media engagement.”
Successful launch into New Zealand (July 2020)
Peacelily is now one of the top latex mattress brands in the country, poised to also be an overall leader in mattresses. In July last year they established a warehouse in Auckland which allows for prompt fulfilment of orders in all parts of the country.
Rebranding from Fern Earth to Peacelily (November 2020)
The business successfully implemented the rebrand of their company name from Fern Earth to Peacelily.
“The peace lily plant captures our brand’s identity in many ways. It is a nod to the lily as the national flower of Sri Lanka where our latex is sourced and manufactured and also happens to be Migs’ birthplace,” explained Ms Koa.
‘Migs’ refers to the founder of the business. Full name: Migara Tennakoon (he also features in the main photo above.)
“The plant is also a natural air purifier and aids in better sleep. The flower’s delicate appearance represents how our products are also visually appealing with its crisp, all cream fabric made from GOTS certified 100% organic cotton.”
Redesign of website (January 2021)
“From updated creatives to improved functionalities and layout, the Peacelily website is … informative, compelling and user-friendly,” said Ms Koa.
“Our web development team continuously assesses and improves the website to better serve our customers and the general public. Through the website we also launched our slogan, ‘Natural latex mattresses handcrafted for Australia/New Zealand/Singapore’, which captures what we fully specialise in and our point of difference in the mattress space.”
“The Peacelily website has a fresh look and feel, in line with the aesthetics of the our range as well as the zest one feels from a good night’s sleep.”
Soft launch into Singapore (March 2021)
Peacelily successfully curated and manufactured a range of products that launched into Singapore. Their private showroom within the premiere and eco-friendly O2Work space (Income@Raffle) opened for appointments during this time.
Clients are given the choice to do a self-guided visit or do a virtual consultation via WhatsApp chat or video call.
Relocation to a bigger office/warehouse location (April 2021)
The expansion of the team and growth of the business necessitated the move to a much bigger showroom and warehouse space.
The Melbourne warehouse now stores Peacelily’s products which are in stock and ready to ship to all areas of Australia.
Their customer service team oversee the Sleep Showroom, handling in-person appointments and customer queries through various channels (phone, SMS, emails, online chat and WhatsApp) from three countries. The marketing and logistics teams are also based in this office.
Recognition in media (ongoing)
Peacelily has caught the eye of multiple digital sites and have been featured in Women’s Health Australia, Men’s Health Australia, Home Beautiful, Verve Magazine NZ and Good Magazine NZ (and now Startup News… 😉).
The Peacelily mattress was even included in the top latex mattresses in Singapore for Best in Singapore. The brand also consistently rates high among mattress and bedding review sites such as BedBuyer, Cosier and Sleepify.
Sri Lanka expansion (in progress)
Plans are underway for Peacelily Sri Lanka to move from fabrication to fully manufacturing and supplying latex. Ms Roa said this brings the company right in the heart of quality control and helps ensure they are producing the best quality products by managing every step of the process.
2020 was certainly a tough year for many small businesses and startups. So it is pleasing to see that Peacelily was able to thrive and adapt to new customer demand during the pandemic.
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For more information, visit peacelily.com.au
