Our Flagship Product: The All Wool Mattress
It’s been just over 25 years since Shepherd’s Dream began, and our All Wool Mattress was the product that started the dream all those years ago.
At the time, most mattresses were being made with synthetic fabrics and components, and these materials perform terribly when there’s a fire—when exposed to open flame, they melt and give off toxic fumes. Understandably, federal regulators felt compelled to make mattresses safer for the public, but unfortunately, most companies decided to go the chemical route. We now know just how pervasive and damaging these chemicals are to our bodies and the health of our planet.
Shepherd’s Dream was founded as a response to these federal mattress regulations. At the time, it was nearly impossible to find natural, nontoxic alternatives, but we knew a secret—wool is naturally flame resistant without the help of any chemicals. And as the word spread, other happy customers discovered the benefits of sleeping on wool, from easing allergies, to cradling aches and pains, to simply receiving a better, more restful night’s sleep.
And here we are, still selling lots of wool mattresses in our third decade of business. Our All Wool Mattress is as elegantly simple as it was back then—multiple layers of the fluffiest, West Coast-sourced EcoWool® batting stuffed into a wool fabric encasement. 100% pure, handmade, and luxuriously natural. It’s also quite different from conventional, synthetic mattresses! Let’s learn more.
The Wool Mattress System
Firstly, it’s important to understand that finding the right mattress is a unique process for each individual. There are many important considerations: sleeping position, aches and pains, allergies, motion isolation, noise, product longevity, and cost, among others. And while no single mattress can possibly please every sleeper, our wool mattress is part of a modular system, which allows you to dial in the support and cushioning you need. Our signature combo includes the All Wool Mattress, the Snuggle Mate Wool Topper, and, if needed, the Cascade Latex Base.
The All Wool Mattress is the foundation, providing firm support. Because our wool mattress requires good air circulation, a wooden bed frame with wood slats is recommended. This alone can be a bit too firm for most sleepers.
That’s where our Snuggle Mate Wool Topper comes in. Soft and cloud-like, it provides the next-to-body feel that most sleepers are looking for, especially if aches and pains are a nightly experience. The addition of the wool topper gives a perfect medium-firmness that back and side sleepers love.
Some people find that these two layers could still benefit from a bit more give. Our Cascade Latex Base goes between the wooden bed frame slats and the wool mattress for that extra bit of comfort.
Here’s how some of our customers have made their dreams come true:
Hannah— “I chose to try wool mainly to avoid buying synthetics, and for the flexibility of having smaller separate components. I trusted from the reviews that I would also find it comfortable, but I am kind of amazed at how great it feels! I sleep on my side, and had recently started to prefer firmer beds. This has just enough give but no sinking in, and it turns out that’s all I need. I even slept well on the mattress alone for a couple of days while delivery of the topper was delayed, but it does feel more pleasant with both.”
Amy— “We finally took the plunge this year and bought the 5″ mattress to replace an organic latex mattress…It’s very, very firm, which is what we were looking for, but we found that it works best for us paired with the latex and the wool topper. Without the latex, we can feel the wood slats of our bed through the mattress. I love the modularity of this system—you can swap out layers until you get to ‘just right.’”
Robyn— “In the spirit of Goldilocks I tried many options for a ‘green’ sleep system. I love my new wool pillows, comforter, topper and mattress. I could feel the slats from the wood frame through the 5″ mattress so I added 3″ of latex on the slats. Now my bed is cozy, cuddly and just right!!!”
Why Invest in the All Wool Mattress?
Let’s be honest. The mattress industry is a labyrinth of options, buzzwords, gadgets, and marketing spin—about as fun as shopping for a used car. Online shopping has helped introverts avoid the sales pressure from in-person visits to stores, but then you can’t try out the mattresses before you buy. Online bed-in-a-box companies appeared with free trial periods to solve that issue, but this ended up creating others, including a lot of returned mattresses that can’t be resold. This is not a good use of materials and it certainly isn’t eco-friendly.
Shepherd’s Dream is committed to responsible manufacturing processes and sustainable materials and practices. Because our bedding is made by hand and can’t be resold or repurposed, we don’t offer trial periods or free returns. We much prefer to work with our customers to help them choose the perfect mattress set-up for their situation and ensure that it’s right for them.
We know that our All Wool Mattress system can be a big purchasing decision. Given the old-fashioned way we go about regionally sourcing our wool and making the items by hand, there are no extravagant mark-ups—these are high quality products. Here are some other great reasons to invest in our All Wool Mattress:
- This may be the last mattress you ever buy. If you take good care of your wool mattress, it can last for decades. We have customers who purchased wool mattresses from us in the early days of our business who are still sleeping on them today. This simply cannot be said of conventional mattresses with components like coils, foams, and synthetic materials that wear out with use over time.
- Your health is priceless. There are many hidden health concerns with conventional mattresses that contain flame resistant chemicals and other volatile organic compounds that offgas into your bedroom. There is no way to quantify how this can affect you over time. Zero chemicals are used in making our wool mattresses.
- Don’t underestimate the cost of lost sleep. Depending on who you ask, lost sleep costs American businesses somewhere between 150 billion to 400 billion dollars per year in lost productivity from absenteeism and workplace accidents. Whoa! Poor sleep can make everything in life seem harder and less pleasant—it’s so worth ensuring you have the best chance of getting the sleep you need.
- Your purchase supports small businesses and sheep farms in the United States. The dollars you spend on your mattress contribute to the lives of our employees and the ranchers who work hard to raise sheep ethically and humanely. This support helps us revitalize both skilled cottage-industry labor and the wool industry in this country. The more we circulate dollars amongst responsible businesses near home, the more those dollars circulate within our communities, helping them to thrive.
While investing in the All Wool Mattress and its companion layers can cost more than a conventional mattress in your budget, over time it more than pays for itself in so many ways, both directly and indirectly.
We love our All Wool Mattress and we hope you do too! It’s a classic for a reason, and it’s also our hope for a sustainable future as well. If there’s anything we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to contact our knowledgeable Customer Service Dream Team.
Thanks so much for reading this installment of our Counting Sheep Blog. There’s more where that came from on Instagram and Pinterest, so check us out. And until next time, sweet dreams!
