Saatva Focuses on Sustainability to Fuel Future Growth
This past spring, the Saatva booth at High Point Market practically buzzed with eager visitors. Situated among trendsetting European brands and high-end bespoke collections of furnishings and accessories in the market’s Interhall, Saatva’s debut at the semi-annual furniture market made a notable splash.
And it also raised a few eyebrows among those who only thought of Saatva as a direct-to-consumer mattress brand. But the luxury bedding maker has its sights set far beyond where it began.
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“We have grown and expanded our collections that are not only great for customers, but luxurious enough for designers, too,” said Ron Rudzin, founder, president and CEO, Saatva. “Designers can now fully outfit the bedroom with our products. Our products are designed to be standout stars on their own or to work together with our growing suite of offerings to create a personalized sleep sanctuary.”
But 13 years ago, Saatva was founded on a fairly simple premise—offer a luxury mattress directly to consumers online. Years before bed-in-a-box companies made direct-to-consumer online mattress sales the norm, Saatva stood as a bit of an outlier in an industry then dominated by brick-and-mortar retailers selling a handful of legacy brands.
“After spending my entire career in the home furnishings industry, I knew that the luxury mattress is the highest margin item in the industry,” Rudzin said. “By selling directly to the consumer, we could offer a product as good or better than mattresses sold at traditional retail stores for half the cost.”
But Rudzin and his team knew they would have to make Saatva mattresses differently if they wanted to appeal to a luxury consumer accustomed to seeing and touching the products they buy.
Sustainable sourcing
From the beginning, sustainability and using natural, eco-friendly materials were a priority for Saatva.
“When I started to conceive the idea of Saatva in 2008, I knew even at that time that people had multiple complaints about sprays and chemicals that manufacturers were putting on their products,” Rudzin said. “I wanted to source something different that was in keeping with our green philosophy.”
To that end, Saatva makes its beds with materials such as organic cotton, GOTS-certified organic New Zealand wool, GOLS-certified natural latex and CertiPUR-US-certified memory foam. The company also formulated its own proprietary antimicrobial treatment, called Guardin, which is made with an odorless blend of essential oils of thyme, geranium, lemongrass and mint. Rudzin said the company even found a way to give its beds flame-retardant qualities without adding potentially toxic chemicals.
“We sourced a natural thistle flame barrier that goes underneath our cover, which is made with organic cotton,” he said. “We utilize woven layers of natural thistle pulp instead of harmful chemical sprays to make our mattresses flame-retardant.”
Saatva offers 10 mattress models, including the hybrid innerspring Saatva Classic, the recently introduced memory foam Saatva RX for those with back pain and the Zenhaven organic latex. Saatva also makes crib and toddler beds, as well as innerspring dog beds. Prices range from $1,995 for the Saatva Classic to $3,745 for the adjustable firmness Solaire, for a queen size.
Along with being more healthy to the end-user, the materials Saatva uses in its products allow the company to reduce its carbon footprint.
“The materials we use, like organic cotton, wool, and natural latex, are safer, more sustainably produced, and have a significantly lower environmental impact,” Rudzin said. “Our made-to-order, lean manufacturing process means we build only what we need, and are able to find ways to reduce waste.”
Carbon footprint comes into consideration with Saatva’s white-glove delivery service, as well. Rudzin said offering delivery and setup are critical for appealing to a luxury shopper, so Saatva offers the service through local partners. The company, which operates a national network of 19 factories, partners with more than 150 delivery services located within 60 miles of 85 percent of continental United States homes.
“We are able to lower carbon emissions while supporting local economies,” he said. “By finding efficiencies where we can, we aim to do the best for our customers while operating in an eco-friendly way.”
Beyond the bed
After firmly establishing themselves in the luxury direct-to-consumer mattress market, Saatva has worked on expanding their business on a number of fronts, such as its product assortment.
The company developed the usual mattress add-ons—toppers, sheets, pillows and blankets—but knew they wanted to go further. So Saatva introduced 14 upholstered bed frames, along with bedroom benches, chairs and ottomans. And during High Point Market, the company launched its new rug line created in partnership with rug maker Jaipur Living. The collection, which includes six designs in a range of colors that coordinate with Saatva’s bed frames, hit stores earlier this year. Saatva also recently added bath towels to its lineup.
“We wanted to offer customers a full luxury bedroom experience that matches the quality and ease of purchase of our mattresses,” Rudzin said.
Product expansion also has allowed Saatva to reach an important audience for growing its brand—interior designers. At their booth in High Point, Saatva representatives courted that coveted customer, which attends the show in droves each season. Rudzin said designers’ clients are the same luxury customer the company caters to, so cultivating those relationships makes sense.
So Saatva launched a design trade program, which offers interior designers a percentage of cash back on every order, a 24/7 concierge service and in-room delivery and setup. Designers also can get special member pricing through the program.
Saatva’s move into brick-and-mortar retail benefits its push for interior designers, as well. In recent years, the company has opened 11 showrooms in major cities such as New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Portland, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The company has plans to open three additional locations, including one in San Diego, that will allow customers touch and see their products up close.
“As we continue to roll out Saatva Viewing Rooms across the country, we want designers to know that they can bring clients to one of our beautiful locations to see and experience Saatva products as part of the design process,” Rudzin said.
Rudzin said the the past few years have been a period of exponential growth for Saatva, partially fueled by the pandemic-induced demand for home goods. And while that fervor has cooled, Rudzin said he sees continued expansion for Saatva going forward.
“Things related to the home category have become even more important to consumers in the past few years,” he said. “During the pandemic, Saatva grew from one flagship Viewing Room in New York to eleven locations, with our San Diego location slated to open its doors before the end of this month. We believe that as people continue to prioritize quality sleep and healthy living, the demand for quality, eco-friendly home furnishings will also grow.”
