Happy moments together.
Follow our story below.
Creating new beginnings
In 2014, our co-founder Gary Elton established the Happy + Co farm in the Cambodian province of Siem Reap after looking for ways to create employment opportunities for young people, particularly the children of rice growers whose options were once limited.
Making a concept a reality
To date, dams have been excavated, roads built and buildings erected. Our early decision to operate without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers proved a challenge. Upgrading the poor quality soil involved filling acres of dust-covered paddy fields with soil excavated from surrounding farms and topping it off with truckloads of rice husk and odorous buffalo dung – but it was worth the effort. After two years of cropping, hundreds of kilos of healthy fruits and vegetables are now picked regularly.
Generating opportunities
Today, the Happy + Co farm employs over 40 people who plant, harvest and market its increasingly varied produce, in addition to building and equipping greenhouses to allow for year-round harvesting.
This in turn will provide ongoing work for a greater number of locals and also enable the farm to expand its output and sell its naturally grown produce to more hotels, restaurants and families.
You buy, we give
But what does the farm have to do with Happy + Co homewares, we hear you ask? That’s simple: 10% of the profit from every product sold is invested back into the farm and the community.
It’s still early days but we hope that, cushion by cushion, vegetable by vegetable, we can have a positive effect on the lives of people less fortunate than ourselves.
Helping those in need
The farm has already helped Dara, a former tuk tuk driver, qualify as a chef; Sompah, a young girl who supported her elderly parents, become a teacher; and Sokha, a hotel doorman, complete his business degree and become the manager of the Happy + Co farm.
And this is just the beginning. We hope you’ll join us on this journey…
Cushions
A cheerful blend of bold black and white patterns and brilliant pops of colour, our jolly cushions are the heart and soul of Happy + Co. A savvy way to accessorise any space, pile them high for extra style points.
Shop now
