WHO WE ARE!

West Coast Hammock Co. was established with the aim of providing a really high quality hammock to the Australian market. We are the official authorised exclusive retailer of these hammocks in Australia.

Information about the hammock guru’s who create these beautiful masterpieces is presented below.

HAMMOCK GURU

Hello! My name is Phranee and I am a hammock maker. I am proud to bring you, possibly, the best hammocks that money can buy. My hammocks are unmatched in comfort, durability, beauty and in their sheer size.

I was born in 1970 in Loey, Thailand, and have lived most of my life in the northern part of the country. I have two adult children. Before becoming a hammock maker, I was farmer, housewife, factory worker and did traditional handweaving.

It was in 2008 when I started working with hammocks. I was employed to weave hammocks at the enterprise established in Thailand in 1988 by Peter Schmid, a Swiss textile engineer. I instantly liked this work very much and learned the basics very quickly. My boss then gave me the opportunity to work as his assistant in technical development projects. I was involved in the development of new hammock types, a new yarn dyeing process, unique weaving techniques, designing and many more. In short, I learned all there is to know about the art of hammock-making. In 2013 after a very strict exam, I was promoted to master hammock-maker.

Today, I am the leader of a group of about 20 hammock weavers in Chiang Kong, Thailand, who were trained by me. Many of them belong to the Khamu Tribe or the Thai Lue minority. My job is to give out the orders to each of them, provide the raw materials and assistance as needed. When the hammocks are done, I do a thorough quality check and pay them. All our weavers work at home and are paid after completing each hammock, so they can work at their own convenience. Many are farmers and hammock-making provides an extra means of income for these economically-disadvantaged weavers. Weaving hammocks is not easy and every weaver needs several months of training before she can make the basic types. Only the best weavers are able to make the more intricate types such as the V-Hammock.

Most of my hammocks are marketed by Thai Tribal Crafts Fair Trade Company (TTC) in Chiang Mai. TTC is a non-profit marketing organization by Thai tribal people for Thai tribal people, and is approved by the international Fair Trade association.

Our hammocks are relatively new to Thailand as they were introduced by Peter only in 1988. Peter has lived in Thailand ever since and his story is long and full of twists and turns. Amongst others it included 10 years of working with and supporting the “stone age” Mlabri tribe through hammock-making. Over the years Peter developed 7 different types of hammocks, and created over 300 different colour designs. What started with a few rolls of yarn has today become a business selling thousands of hammocks every year, skillfully and artfully woven by over 150 weavers.

Every hammock you buy will bring many hours of relaxation for you and much needed employment for us.