WIN! A luxurious British wool duvet from Devon Duvets

In 2008, Dick and Pauline Beijen made the decision to live a more sustainable lifestyle and so packing up their belongings they moved to a smallholding on Dartmoor, together with their children, Anna and Jake. They were soon the proud owners of a flock of sheep and initially planned to make small craft products with wool. They soon realised that there was another wonderful opportunity for using their wool, so set about designing the first individually handcrafted 100% British wool duvet that could be made in the UK. On speaking to other local farmers who were struggling to sell their fleeces, Dick and Pauline realised that they had also found a way to support local British sheep farmers through their idea.

With the aim of creating sustainable products with British wool that would help people to sleep better, months of research then followed. The first task was to find the best way to clean and process the wool without the use of chemicals. They also wanted the wool to be turned into soft, fluffy layers that would have plenty of loft. They found traditional British mills that could do both tasks, ensuring Dick and Pauline’s specifications were met.

A beautiful high thread count 100% cotton fabric was sourced, using cotton fibres certified by Better Cotton, a global initiative that supports better environmental and socio-economic cotton farming practices. The design of the duvet was also very important and created in the early stages of research, as Dick and Pauline wanted a design that provided a luxurious drape that would be both cosy and comforting.

Pauline said: “Sustainability has always been at the core of everything we do.
Keeping everything as natural as possible is better for our customers, as well as the environment. Wool has many wonderful proven qualities, the most important of which is its ability to temperature regulate. This helps to keep your core body temperature balanced throughout the night, aiding a more restful sleep – which is so important for physical and metal health. It’s also dust mite resistant, which makes it the ideal filling for those who have problems sleeping due to dust mite allergies”.

As orders came flooding in, production was moved to a workshop on the edge of Dartmoor, and a team of professional seamstresses was soon busily individually handcrafting each duvet, putting love and care into every stitch. It wasn’t long before demand for wool bedding products was such that the Devon Duvets range expanded to include mattress toppers and pillows.

Fifteen years later, Devon Duvets is still individually handcrafting luxurious British wool soft bedding and are proud that all the wool used is still gathered from flocks owned by farmers in Devon and the Southwest. Dick Beijen added: “Our wool is certified by British Wool as fully traceable from farm to duvet, topper or pillow and because we are part of the British Wool traceability scheme, our selected farmers receive an above market value price for their fleeces. This helps to ensure our farmers will be able to continue supplying us with the high quality wool that we use for our products.”

Devon Duvets is also proud to be the only duvet maker in the UK to be awarded membership of The Guild of Master Craftsmen, the UK’s most established trade association to represent artisans and tradespeople who have skill, integrity and expertise. Devon Duvets was the first, and remains the only, soft bedding company in the UK to individually handcraft its 100% British wool duvets at its own workshops.