On 1 January 2018, the foundation stone was laid for an idea that today, 4 years later, inspires numerous people: Matabooks was founded. In this blog post, you can find out why Matabooks exists and what we want to achieve. In addition, we have dressed up, especially for our birthday, and introduced you to our new logo.
Why matabooks exist?
The idea for Matabooks came from founder Kay Hedrich’s desire to actively do something for the environment, as he was repeatedly confronted with environmental pollution while traveling through India and other parts of the world.
In addition, he already had immense love for books, which he deepened by studying publishing and media management at the HTWK Leipzig. However, as a vegan, he disliked the fact that conventional books usually contained animal ingredients, such as bone glue. So a more sustainable and vegan alternative was needed.
A research project then got the ball rolling: in 2014, the company C+G Papier GmbH initiated a project together with the German Environmental Federation, the Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) and the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelm-Universität Bonn, which examined the suitability of grass as a raw material for paper production. In May 2015, it was confirmed that grass can be used for the production of corrugated board, cardboard and graphic papers. However, so far only packaging has been produced from this material. For book production, the grass did not yet play a role, but for Kay, the final idea was born.
Thus Matabooks was born. The first V-label certified publishing house in Germany to produce books from grass paper.
What do we do?
Our range now includes not only Novels but also Children’s books, Notebooks (also made from wood-free Sweet Grass Paper!), Year Planners, Stationery and Office supplies. Everything is produced in a vegan and sustainable way and created in collaboration with young artists and authors.
But we also produce print orders from external customers or individualized products for companies.
The special feature: our books are biodegradable due to their purely natural components. Of course, we recommend recycling the grass paper as often as possible in order to save resources.
So you see, Matabooks wants to make the world a little greener every day. It’s not for nothing that our name is derived from the Sanskrit “Mata”, which means “mother”. We do it for “Mother Nature”.
Our Philosophy
We are aware that not only do we have an impact as people, but also as a company. matabooks have a responsibility for the social, environmental and economic impact on society.
That is why we produce print products in a particularly sustainable and fair way. Our books are biodegradable, produced locally and largely by hand.
We also donate a portion to charitable organizations. For example, we donate one euro to PETA Deutschland e.V. for every “Equality” annual planner sold for 2022.
It is also important for us to draw attention to other issues. At the beginning of 2021, we launched a female empowerment collection that focuses on gender equality and with which we support the UN Women Deutschland e.V. organization.
These are just a few of the many examples. For us, it is not “enough” to only produce sustainable products, we also want to use our means beyond this green edge to make an important contribution to the protection of animals and the environment as well as to the promotion of social coexistence.
What have we achieved?
Matabooks started with Kay Hedrich but grew over the years to a handful of motivated people who stand behind the philosophy and live it. We also now serve our clientele not only in the DACH region but beyond the European borders. It’s hard to believe how Matabooks has developed since our first novel of 2018 – “The Whisper of Rebellion” by Sophie Marlene Frohnauer.
Today, we are no longer “just” a publishing house, but work according to the three-pillar principle:
The first of these is the publishing house itself. That means we develop, design and publish all our products ourselves.
The second pillar is book and media production. We not only address end customers but also personalize our products for companies, for example.
And the third pillar is research, as we continuously try to improve our products and use new materials.
In addition, our innovative products have already won several awards, most recently the Promotional Gift Award 2021.
But our “exterior” has also changed. We now have a new logo that expresses our green soul and love for nature and, of course, books.
What else would we like to achieve?
In the future, too, we would like to campaign for important issues and create more awareness for the protection of our beautiful earth through our products. We also want to continue to develop as a company, but all within the framework of healthy growth.
We hope to inspire you and others with our products and message.
With this in mind: Happy Birthday Matabooks!