SOCiLA

Through SOCiLA, LA SIESTA is committed to the organic cultivation of organic cotton in Latin America. SOCiLA is a not-for-profit project initiated by the founder of LA SIESTA, Alexander Grisar. SOCiLA is an initiative of LA SIESTA founder Alexander Grisar to promote eco-cotton in Latin America. This initiative advocates the cultivation of organic cotton, the dissemination of products made from it and sustainable development.

Idea

Already in 2008, when Alexander Grisar retired from the management of LA SIESTA, he had the idea of creating SOCiLA. At the same time, organic cotton hammocks were an integral part of the LA SIESTA range, but when Alexander Grisar wanted to produce them in Colombia as well, he was sorry to find that there was no organic cotton cultivation there. In order to make the hammocks, he had to import the necessary organic cotton, which in turn was associated with further pollution of the environment through transport. This deplorable state of affairs irritated him and became the impetus for the founding of the Organic Cotton Initiative. Growing Organic Cotton in Colombia | © LA SIESTA GmbH

Mission

Alexander Grisar took up the challenge of drawing attention to the environmental and economic prospects of organic cotton cultivation in Latin America. It advises farmers, industrial companies, communities of interest and governments on the development of projects. In addition, he brings his knowledge and many years of experience in the implementation of such plans, revealing, for example, how to get funding from organizations offering assistance to developing countries.

Projects

So far, SOCiLA has focused on Colombia, the country where LA SIESTA manufactures more than half of its hammocks. Since 2009, Alexander Grisar has been traveling to Colombia three to four times a year. The first trials of cultivation were carried out, thus laying the foundations for the commercial cultivation of organic cotton in the country.