Ceiba Tree is a small and dedicatedly eco concious label for little people and big people alike. Predominatly soft toys, all the creations are designed by Melbourne artist and designer Antonia Green. The materials and processes are are all reserached and carried in ethical and sustainable ways. Incorperating hand made elements and engaging with nature in both the design and process are all important in the philosophy and practice of Ceiba Tree.

With a growing range of environmentally conscious handmade toys, Ceiba Tree's product range is growing to include new characters as well as rattles, cards, baby-quilts, clothing and a story book for children.

The Ceiba tree is a beautiful and sacred tree of life for the Mayans, indigenous to Central America. Like an eco-system in itself it harbours a host of plant and animal life and towers above the forest, growing up to 100 metres tall.

The filling for the toys, kapok, is collected sustainably from the seed pods of the Ceiba tree. It is naturally anti-bacterial, dust mite and water resistant and is considered especially appropriate for those with sensitive skin and allergies.

Ceiba Tree fabrics are specially selected, one lovely soft fabric is organic hemp combined with cotton fleece, while another is hand woven cotten from traditional communities in Guatemala. The colours for the toys are made entirely from plant and vegetable materials selected and collected by hand. The dyes and tannins are boiled to create colourfast dyes, in an array of subtle and individual hues, which will naturally vary. The toys are screen printed by hand with water based ink.

We are currently looking into working with and supporting some inspiring women's associations in Guatamala such as Lema, who are dedicated in upholding their traditional practices of natural dyeing and hand weaving hand spun cotton fabrics. They are located in a Mayan village on the banks of beautiful Lake Atitlan. UPAVIM is another fantastic group of women who have transformed the desperate living conditions of their community on the outskirts of Guatemala City by forming an organisation over 30 years ago which is now providing Fair Trade employment making handcrafts, healthcare, education, nutricional food, and above all hope for their own future.

For more information on Lema and UPAVIM visit their links in the contact page.