Warjiyo Furniture

Our teak furniture comes from a small workshop in Indonesia set up by a very well respected local man called Warjiyo. The workshop is based in a village called Bantul on the island of Java and now employs 45 local people.

All 45 workers are paid well above the usual wage for their work and they guarantee that no children are employed in the workshop.

This furniture is not made in a large factory but by craftsmen using hand tools and skills that have been developed over centuries. Warjiyo's workshop is a large and open plan space and all his workers are supplied with the correct tools and relevant safety equipment. Warjiyo's wife Sri runs the canteen that provides his staff with meals and drinks. All workers receive an annual holiday allowance and once a year Warjiyo hires a bus with which he takes his employees on an excursion.

The wood is grown from sustainable, locally managed plantations, with huge benefits not only to the environment, but also to the local communities as it guarantees an income and means of employment for future generations. Because of the small close nit community in Bantul, the local people really have a great understanding of the importance of replanting and sustainability.

For a fortnight every year Warjiyo and other local dignitaries decide on who is most needy to receive set aside funds and donations. He was heavily involved in the rebuilding of his village after the decimation caused by the earthquake of 2006.