The making of

Juniper Bed Linens

From seed to your doorstep.

Looking for wash and care instructions? Read our full care guide.

Planting the Supima cotton seeds
The production process starts on a Supima cotton farm in California, where seeds are planted in March and April. Supima is derived from Superior Pima.
Cotton grows best on fertile, well-drained soils with a good water-holding capacity. Supima's family of cotton growers are in the vanguard of innovation, using and developing some of the most technologically advanced agricultural processes available. The farming practices employed set environmental and ethical standards for cotton around the world.
Water management in the cotton fields
Cotton is often, and somewhat inaccurately, criticized as a heavy user of water. In practice, it uses notably less water per acre than other crops common to the same region, almonds among them. Don't get us wrong, cotton's water usage is still high, but if California shifted more of its agriculture towards cotton, less water would be used overall.
To minimize water usage, Supima cotton fields are laser-leveled. Based on the topography and specific make-up of the soil, farmers select the optimal irrigation method: drip irrigation, which feeds the plant directly, or flood irrigation, which restores moisture to the soil and has the added benefits of replenishing aquifers, promoting soil health, and even fostering wildlife.
Harvesting the cotton
The cotton plant requires about 180–200 days from planting to full maturity, and is ready for harvest in September or October. Irrigation ceases in August, and the plant is allowed to dry out. The crop is then entirely mechanically harvested, avoiding the manual labor common in lower-wage countries.
The Supima zero-waste model
By weight, cotton fiber represents approximately 35% of the plant that's picked. All other plant material, stalks, stems, seeds, and leaves, is captured during ginning and used locally as bedding for livestock. By law, all fields must be cleared of plant material at the end of harvest, to prevent pests persisting into the next season. One of the most valuable products of the seed is cottonseed oil, prized as a premium oil for being flavorless, odorless, and high-flashpoint.
Soil conservation among Supima farmers
Supima is grown on roughly 500 family-owned farms, many passed down from generation to generation. Their land is their legacy, and great care is taken to preserve the health of the soil: minimizing pesticide use, rotating crops to keep nutrient levels balanced, and using technologies like GPS-guided tractors that keep wheels on the same path as prior passes, minimizing the need for tilling while maximizing seed germination and crop yields.
Spinning to create a yarn
The cotton is packed and shipped to Pakistan, most commonly in 40-foot containers holding about 20 tons of baled cotton. Transport instinctively feels like a big part of a fabric's carbon footprint, but it's actually only a small fraction of the total emissions behind a finished textile.
In Pakistan, we work with a state-of-the-art spinning mill, run on solar panels, that even overproduces energy and sells the surplus to neighboring factories. It uses equipment from Truetzschler (Germany), Toyota (Japan), and Rieter (Switzerland).
Spinning itself is a twisting technique: the fiber is drawn out, twisted, and wound onto a bobbin. The mill holds a range of certifications, including Supima certification, required to be part of the Supima cotton value chain, and GOTS certification. Most importantly, it has a responsible mindset, and is currently investing further in reducing its water usage.
Creating the weave
The bobbins travel on to Portugal, where the fabric is woven and organically dyed in its final color. Fine yarns are spun into a luxurious sateen weave.
Finishing
Finally, products are finished and sewn to perfection by textile artisans at the factory. Labels are produced in Portugal too, as are the biodegradable bags the sheets arrive in, made from a plant-based plastic substitute. Authentic mother-of-pearl buttons are sewn onto the duvet covers.
Before leaving the factory, everything is washed, folded, and packed, to give you that crisp feeling the first time you open your Juniper bedding.
Picking, packing and sending it off to you
The bed linens travel by truck to the outskirts of Stockholm, where our logistics partner takes over, packing every box by hand.
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Wash & care
We spend about a third of our lives in bed, so it's worth washing your bed linens regularly to keep them fresh.
- Wash every two weeks
- Wash separately from other laundry, with room to move in the machine
- Wash at 40–60°C, spin at roughly 1000–1200 rpm
- Tumble dry if you'd like a softer feel
- Hang to dry while still a little damp, to cut down on wrinkles
- Iron or mangle for that hotel-crisp finish
Read the full care guide →