The Willow Casket Story
Working as funeral professionals, we found we were receiving the same call time and time again. A parent who had lost a child was seeking a casket that would cradle their precious child, but wasn’t an MDF box. As we discovered, there was also nothing available in a true child’s size - everything was made for newborns or pre-term babies.
Each one of these calls broke our heart and spurred us to do something tangible to help; from this place of sorrow, we wanted to extend a way to make things just that tiny bit easier.
From there we came up with other problems that needed solving - Coffins in Australia were often too small for our taller populations, and they were often too narrow. When people had a viewing or a vigil, they often struggled to kiss or hug their beloved as the casket was too deep and narrow. This was especially hard for older people.
And so, our range of caskets was born. As well as being sustainable, made by artisans (and giving a developing community an income), and beautiful - our products are made for everyone of all ages and sizes. Our bearer also allows people the opportunity to say a proper goodbye, but is still suitable for a funeral service or transport.
Local Artisans and older people use their time-honoured skills and earn a living wage.
Our Ethos
It took some time to find the right suppliers to create these special caskets for us. We knew that we had to go and meet our suppliers in person, learn their story, meet their staff and artisans, and be sure that we were buying from a place that valued their workforce.
The search led us from Australia to Indonesia and then to China, where we found our incredible team. Meeting the people who were going to make our products, the family behind the company, and seeing the means of production - we were stoked to make a real connection and to explain the WHY behind the brief.
People make bold claims about sustainability and greenwashing is rife out there - the truth is, death and the associated needs a loss entails do have an environmental impact. The best we can do is look at minimising the broader impacts by choosing the most sustainable options, and not ignoring the human aspect behind the product. We’re proud of this offering and hope it helps.
The Willow used in our caskets is grown, harvested and processed all in the same region - they even have their own Willow Museum (they really love their Willow over there!)