This week we wanted to share an interesting article that appeared in The Times discussing the importance of a good night's sleep and the benefits, particularly for children. Please take a moment to read the article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article6885868.ece
White Cloud now has a page on Facebook- search for White Cloud Trading and click on Pages- we are offering our first 500 fans a 15% discount on our range of wool pillows, duvets, underblankets and pillows and colourful blankets
http://www.facebook.com/pages/White-Cloud/164019102693?ref=ts
Sheepskins for Yoga - we are considering stocking some larger sheepskins specifically for Yoga- if this is something that interests you, please contact us and we can give you more details ...
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Facebook Page
White Cloud now has a page on Facebook! We hope to use this page to invite fans to follow our news and offer them special discounts. Please do take a moment to look, and even better, become a fan. We will be offering our first 500 fans a special discount code which will apply to our complete range.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/White-Cloud/164019102693?ref=ts
Please click on the link and sign up- once we have 500 fans we will be sending them all a unique code. From gorgeous baby lambskins to snuggly wool underblankets and scented wool pillows, White Cloud provides the very best quality Christmas Gifts.
From next year we may have larger sheepskins as an addition to our range- this is a result of a few enquiries from Yoga Practioners- it seems that "treated" sheepskins are the best as they maintain their pile and quality. If this is something that interests you, please let us know and we can give you more details.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/White-Cloud/164019102693?ref=ts
Please click on the link and sign up- once we have 500 fans we will be sending them all a unique code. From gorgeous baby lambskins to snuggly wool underblankets and scented wool pillows, White Cloud provides the very best quality Christmas Gifts.
From next year we may have larger sheepskins as an addition to our range- this is a result of a few enquiries from Yoga Practioners- it seems that "treated" sheepskins are the best as they maintain their pile and quality. If this is something that interests you, please let us know and we can give you more details.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Consistency in uncertain times!
After a break of far too long, attention is now turning to Blog commitments as this is an opportunity for us to share with you some White Cloud news. We had a highly successful show at Burghley Horse Trials and were flattered to be complimented on our stand and the quality of our products. It was our first opportunity to show off our new wool blanket collection and also the natural lanolin skincare range. It was a great event and very heartening to meet so many friendly and interested customers.
Like most other businesses, this year has been quite a challenge - it has meant some serious discussion about stock ordering, pricing etc but at White Cloud we have concluded that we have a completely unique range of wool products, not available anywhere else, and that we will continue to stand firm and continue to stock only the highest quality New Zealand manufactured products. A plunging £ has made importing costs very expensive, but we feel that New Zealand wool still continues to be second to none and we will be maintaining our commitment to stock these completely unique products.
There are now lots of alternative wool duvets on the market, but often, on closer inspection, these are manufactured off shore and often in China. It is essential to question provenance carefully as some cheaper competitive products contain inferior wool which "sheds" and starts coming through the cotton covering. This has resulted in them being sold with a polypropelene "liner" inside the outer cover which completely defeats the purpose.
We are delighted to say that we now have a number of shops stocking White Cloud wool pillows, wool duvets, wool underblankets and wool blankets- take a look at the list on our website for more details. If you know of a family run independent shop or hotel where our products would fit in, please do let us know!
Like most other businesses, this year has been quite a challenge - it has meant some serious discussion about stock ordering, pricing etc but at White Cloud we have concluded that we have a completely unique range of wool products, not available anywhere else, and that we will continue to stand firm and continue to stock only the highest quality New Zealand manufactured products. A plunging £ has made importing costs very expensive, but we feel that New Zealand wool still continues to be second to none and we will be maintaining our commitment to stock these completely unique products.
There are now lots of alternative wool duvets on the market, but often, on closer inspection, these are manufactured off shore and often in China. It is essential to question provenance carefully as some cheaper competitive products contain inferior wool which "sheds" and starts coming through the cotton covering. This has resulted in them being sold with a polypropelene "liner" inside the outer cover which completely defeats the purpose.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Musings on Mulesing ....
Many listeners will have heard a feature on the Radio 4 "You and Yours" programme on Monday 9th August discussing Mulesing.
What is Mulesing?
This is an inhumane and cruel practise used to prevent fly strike to sheep in Australia. For more exact details we suggest you read more on the internet, but it involves cutting off the skin around the tail, causing severe scarring and the prevention of natural regrowth of wool. It is widely used in the production of Merino wool in Australia and many consumers may not be aware how much Australian wool is used in the clothing industry and, of course, the bedding industry. There has been much campaigning to stop it but a deadline of 2010 for phasing out Mulesing in Australia is now thought to be unrealistic.
Mulesing is not practised in New Zealand and consequently products can be bought, used/worn /enjoyed with a clear conscience. There we are, even more reason to support the New Zealand wool industry... as Kiwis are fond of saying "forget the mozzies, let's squash the Ozzies" - sums it up really!
What is Mulesing?
This is an inhumane and cruel practise used to prevent fly strike to sheep in Australia. For more exact details we suggest you read more on the internet, but it involves cutting off the skin around the tail, causing severe scarring and the prevention of natural regrowth of wool. It is widely used in the production of Merino wool in Australia and many consumers may not be aware how much Australian wool is used in the clothing industry and, of course, the bedding industry. There has been much campaigning to stop it but a deadline of 2010 for phasing out Mulesing in Australia is now thought to be unrealistic.
Mulesing is not practised in New Zealand and consequently products can be bought, used/worn /enjoyed with a clear conscience. There we are, even more reason to support the New Zealand wool industry... as Kiwis are fond of saying "forget the mozzies, let's squash the Ozzies" - sums it up really!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
One Good Turn Deserves Another
Back in July we received, entirely unexpectedly, a consignment of goods destined for a shop in Rotorua, New Zealand ... it had arrived in our most recent container hidden amongst an Order for Lanolin Skin Care. It was marked up for Rotorua and I telephoned Nicky to say how far it had travelled and express surprise that it had ended up in the UK! It certainly helped solve a mystery as Nicky had been wondering where it had disappeared to.
The long and short of it is that we have been rewarded with some Lanolin Hand and Body Wash which we will be taking with us to our stand at Burghley Horse Trials in September - it is always nice to have something new to display and little stories like these restore faith in human nature. It is the same reason that we deliberately choose to supply small family run shops- they tend to have traditional values and conduct their business in ways that we feel comfortable with.
Our family holiday is now almost on the horizon- whilst we are away we are very much hoping for the safe arrival of "Wellington" - for more news of the new arrival at White Cloud Trading you might need to look at previous blogs ... we are all hoping he survives his long journey and is happy in his new adopted country!
The long and short of it is that we have been rewarded with some Lanolin Hand and Body Wash which we will be taking with us to our stand at Burghley Horse Trials in September - it is always nice to have something new to display and little stories like these restore faith in human nature. It is the same reason that we deliberately choose to supply small family run shops- they tend to have traditional values and conduct their business in ways that we feel comfortable with.
Our family holiday is now almost on the horizon- whilst we are away we are very much hoping for the safe arrival of "Wellington" - for more news of the new arrival at White Cloud Trading you might need to look at previous blogs ... we are all hoping he survives his long journey and is happy in his new adopted country!
Monday, August 03, 2009
Natural Therapies for dogs and cats
How can dogs and cats benefit from sleeping with magnets?
At White Cloud we have an increasing number of enquiries from pet owners. Mostly these are customers who have purchased a Magniwool Underblanket for themselves and have noticed a distinct improvement in their health and
wellbeing and would like something similar for family pets.
Magnets work by improving blood circulation; the iron in the blood is stimulated by the action of the magnets and this really does result in improved levels of health and mobility. We are now developing a range of Magniwool Cushions specifically for pets. The outer cover is washable high quality gingham and the cushion itself is protected by a washable inner cover.
Will my pets like sleeping on the cushion? Yes! We now have a number of customers whose animals will sleep on nothing else! They seem to naturally choose the cushions over and above any other bedding and these are pillow sized so can be used in most situations ...
At White Cloud we have an increasing number of enquiries from pet owners. Mostly these are customers who have purchased a Magniwool Underblanket for themselves and have noticed a distinct improvement in their health and
wellbeing and would like something similar for family pets.Magnets work by improving blood circulation; the iron in the blood is stimulated by the action of the magnets and this really does result in improved levels of health and mobility. We are now developing a range of Magniwool Cushions specifically for pets. The outer cover is washable high quality gingham and the cushion itself is protected by a washable inner cover.
Will my pets like sleeping on the cushion? Yes! We now have a number of customers whose animals will sleep on nothing else! They seem to naturally choose the cushions over and above any other bedding and these are pillow sized so can be used in most situations ...
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Customers really matter!
Customer service is the focus of this particular blog!
While our middle son is away on some work experience we decided we would spruce up his bedroom and surprise him- off we set with a spring in our step, money in hand, to our local branch of Focus. Found exactly what we wanted for an incredibly cheap price and were ready and willing to buy. However, because some of it was the only example on display, guess what? (and this could only happen in the UK) we couldn't, for whatever bizarre reason, buy it! We were expected to order the items, wait for 2 weeks and also pay for the priviledge of delivery when we could have been sold everything there and then and the shop would have benefited from an immediate sale. So annoyed were we that we left and came home with an empty car feeling frustrated and infuriated with such an inferor service.
It takes so little to help customers, big stores bleat on about customer service, but actually it is simple- customers want to buy what they came searching for and it really isn't rocket science to help them and get it right. At White Cloud we honestly do feel that good customer service is the key to successful business. If you don't have customers you don't have a business and making customers happy is what matters.
To end on a cheerful note, Parcelforce exceeded expectation last week when they delivered a duvet and some pillows to France for us, but too quickly, as the parcel arrived at our customer's holiday home before he did!
While our middle son is away on some work experience we decided we would spruce up his bedroom and surprise him- off we set with a spring in our step, money in hand, to our local branch of Focus. Found exactly what we wanted for an incredibly cheap price and were ready and willing to buy. However, because some of it was the only example on display, guess what? (and this could only happen in the UK) we couldn't, for whatever bizarre reason, buy it! We were expected to order the items, wait for 2 weeks and also pay for the priviledge of delivery when we could have been sold everything there and then and the shop would have benefited from an immediate sale. So annoyed were we that we left and came home with an empty car feeling frustrated and infuriated with such an inferor service.
It takes so little to help customers, big stores bleat on about customer service, but actually it is simple- customers want to buy what they came searching for and it really isn't rocket science to help them and get it right. At White Cloud we honestly do feel that good customer service is the key to successful business. If you don't have customers you don't have a business and making customers happy is what matters.
To end on a cheerful note, Parcelforce exceeded expectation last week when they delivered a duvet and some pillows to France for us, but too quickly, as the parcel arrived at our customer's holiday home before he did!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
from lambs to rams to ewe- why wool works!
How do sheep survive in harsh conditions? New Zealand has been enduring a really hard cold winter, not so great for humans but wonderful for wool quality as it strengthens fibres and that is what makes, for example, Merino wool so prized. Shaun, a massive Merino ram managed to evade shearing for several years running and was finally captured in 2004! His huge wool fleece was auctioned for charity and bought by the then Prime Minister, Helen Clark. As far as we know, he still holds the World Record. Unless, of course, you know better? ...
Wool is the traditional present for a 7th Wedding Anniversary - something we learned when a customer chose to buy her husband a lovely White Cloud wool duvet and wool pillows. In the past few weeks we have sold a lot of beautiful white lambskins for newborn babies - these lambskins come from a specialist supplier in New Zealand. Babies thrive on the softness, the tactile quality and natural warmth of the wool.
Wool is the traditional present for a 7th Wedding Anniversary - something we learned when a customer chose to buy her husband a lovely White Cloud wool duvet and wool pillows. In the past few weeks we have sold a lot of beautiful white lambskins for newborn babies - these lambskins come from a specialist supplier in New Zealand. Babies thrive on the softness, the tactile quality and natural warmth of the wool.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A Dog inspired Blog
We were told a really touching story this week; one of our very first customers rang to tell us that her much loved dog had died and that she decided to bury him with ... his favourite pet rug which she had bought from White Cloud several years ago. It was such a touching thought that it finally provoked us into commencing our blog.... so this first one has something of an animal theme:
How do you spot a NZ Sheep?
Ever since we spotted a model sheep in Dunedin two years ago, we have been searching for another one exactly the same. The opportunity of a trade stand at Burghley Horse Trials in September made the search a lot more urgent... and, great news, finally, after hours and hours on the internet, we have found one! Prices had rocketed and were more than double than those on the website, but after a lot of pleading an older model (!) has been found and "Wellington" is now safely packed up and travelling to us on a one way ticket in the next container. He will be taking pride of place at Burghley, safely tethered and doing what he can to promote New Zealand wool (wool pillows, wool duvets, wool underblankets) Who knows, he may even be contributing to the Blog in the future ...
How do you spot a NZ Sheep?
Ever since we spotted a model sheep in Dunedin two years ago, we have been searching for another one exactly the same. The opportunity of a trade stand at Burghley Horse Trials in September made the search a lot more urgent... and, great news, finally, after hours and hours on the internet, we have found one! Prices had rocketed and were more than double than those on the website, but after a lot of pleading an older model (!) has been found and "Wellington" is now safely packed up and travelling to us on a one way ticket in the next container. He will be taking pride of place at Burghley, safely tethered and doing what he can to promote New Zealand wool (wool pillows, wool duvets, wool underblankets) Who knows, he may even be contributing to the Blog in the future ...
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