Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - July/August 2020

75 COMPANY PROFILE Spanish style Influenced by travels to the south of Spain, Stewart Bow n launched Jarapa some 20 years ago. Having expanded into wholesale and evolved its product offering, the company’s environmental focus is helping it weather the coronavirus storm When did you start up the company and why? The company Jarapa Ltd was registered in 2007 but started in the early 2000’s. I was regularly travelling to Spain and on one visit I fell in love with the “jarapa” rugs made in the Southern region of the country. I started bringing some rugs back to the UK after each visit and that was how I started out. How has the company developed over the years? To start with we sold the rugs at markets and retail shows; over time adding pottery, baskets and furniture from the Iberian Peninsula. When customers showed interest in trade pricing, we started to supply them; wholesale now makes up the majority of our business and we now supply customers all over the UK and Europe. Our product range has evolved over time and we focus now on recycled, upcycled and natural products. Our original products, the rugs, are made by a Spanish family who have been making them for three generations. We have developed a range of colours and styles over the years that sell well in the UK market. Made from 100% recycled material, made from the offcuts of the upholstery industry, they are machine washable, reversible and hard wearing. Recycled glassware was an obvious choice of product to increase our range and we now source from several factories in Spain. We have worked with some suppliers for many years building a range of product styles and colours for the UK market, many of which we hold in stock in the UK. As well as wholesale we have supplied businesses, bars, restaurants and hotels with unique branded tableware, tumblers and wineglasses. Our most recent innovation is the lamps we manufacture here in the UK from recycled glass items, using high quality fittings and local craftsmanship. We have also developed a bespoke range of lampshades to complement them.