MayTree - How it all began...
Hello! As the founder of the MayTree brand, I would like to introduce myself to you. I was born in China and have lived in Germany for 25 years. That is almost half of my life so far. I live with my husband Ralf and our child in a small community very close to Munich, which is also the location of my company and the MayTree brand. It is well known that home is where the heart belongs. So I consider Germany and Bavaria to be my second home country. Since I do not want to lose my connection to my birth country China, I have always worked on projects related to China over the last 20 years. In 2009, I ventured into self-employment and have worked as a management consultant ever since. I have supported numerous companies in entering the Chinese market until I came across cashmere products by chance in the winter of 2017. In a conversation, a friend raved about the great quality of the cashmere products and told me that she knew a well-known factory and could put me in touch. I became curious and made a “detour” on my business trip to Hong Kong in November 2017.
When I arrived in the far north of China wrapped in a thick down coat, I was very impressed by the vast and lonely surroundings. The air was dry, cold and "crystal clear", so that you felt enveloped by the dark blue sky. After days in warm and humid air and visiting trade fairs with countless people in Hong Kong, everything was so refreshing and relaxing for me that I could devote myself entirely to my conversations and inspecting the products. Since then, I have felt this feeling of concentration and relaxation at the same time every time I am there. We started with three product units straight away.
Three years have passed, we now have over 40 beautiful products and more than one supplier. I designed most of the products together with Ralf and our suppliers. We composed the colors of the collections so that the products, regardless of whether they are made of cashmere or merino, can always be combined well with each other. I am a firm supporter of the idea of fashion icon Vivian Westwood: " Buy less, choose well, make it last" . This means that almost all MayTree products (perhaps except for the merino loop scarves) can be worn (and soon worn) on different occasions. The excellent quality also guarantees that you will enjoy the products for a long time.
The extraction and processing of the valuable wool has a long tradition in the area. When selecting suppliers, I personally check the entire value chain from the extraction of the wool to the manufacture of the finished goods. This way I can ensure that the cashmere wool is extracted carefully, that production is not harmful to the environment and that there are no heavy metals, pollutants or azo dyes in the products. It is also important to me that the workers receive fair pay and work under good conditions. Our suppliers fully meet these expectations. We have the product quality checked at regular intervals by recognized testing institutes.
For me, it is important to always have a clear conscience as an entrepreneur. I stand for our products being authentic, natural and timeless. By the way, "May" has the same pronunciation as my first name Mei (so it is not pronounced like "Mai"). The name also reminds me of the "Maypole", the symbol of my second home. 😊
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Until next time, best regards
Yours, Mei Gräfe