THE BIRTH

 OF THE BRAND 

The COKI brand was established in 2017 to offer products made from natural raw materials. Our approach minimizes the consumption of valuable resources both during production and throughout the product's life cycle, while ensuring that our items are free from toxic substances. Achieving this requires extensive research and longer design processes.

Coki Barbieri often emphasizes that "whatever we aim to produce, we will inevitably modify the material, utilize a portion of the earth's resources, and expose both ourselves and the environment to certain consequences. We must strive to make these consequences as gentle as possible." Our brand rarely uses the term "sustainability," but we actively practice it in our daily choices. We understand this path may be less straightforward and take more time, yet it ultimately brings us closer to preserving the natural world that inspires us each day.

Our unique stone, developed after years of research and testing, incorporates the finest natural raw materials. We process it without emitting CO2, relying instead on physical methods and the sun's natural heat. Though this requires artisanal production rather than industrial-scale manufacturing, we believe it's a worthwhile wait.

Our packaging is produced just a few kilometers from our headquarters, using recycled and recyclable paper. It is 90% handmade and features a minimalist design. We recognize that 97% of packaging is discarded or set aside, so embellishing it would only increase costs without enhancing the product's quality.

In 2020, Coki Barbieri created Italy's first high-performance salt lamp, named Rocklumina. This lamp offers a compelling alternative to standard salt lamps, boasting excellent design and functionality. It is currently exhibited at the Museo del Design Permanente at the Salone Satellite-Salone del Mobile in Milan. Additionally, COKI won the Green Product Award for Rocklumina, with the jury stating, “Rocklumina improves an existing object that does not have sustainability criteria.”

Coki Barbieri uses notions of geology, chemistry, and design culture to create new products (and materials) from fragments and waste from natural products (such as stones and minerals). COKI brand harness as possible the power of natural elements such as sun, water, and air to craft. Under this vision, nature dictates new production and consumption rhythms: the materials are created as much as possible by hand, with "cold" procedures. The sun-dried components compensate as much as possible for the CO2 emissions due to the production of borosilicate glass (a high-quality material chosen for its extreme hygiene, possibility of cleaning, durability, and non-toxicity). The possibility to divide each product into its original components allows us always to offer the repair of the single element, the replacement, or a second life to the material (reuse or recycling).

A company, as a digital and physical place that produces only positive or reversible reactions between human needs and the protection of natural heritage, "as if not even an earthworm was killed to dig the foundations of a house." A brand that operates in symbiosis with the environment and its ecosystems instead of merely extracting from it. Deep ecology and multi-species thinking will shape design and business visions, transforming the products and services we consume.

Intrigue with simple and functional shapes to bring the user to consider untreated natural materials precious and place safety and non-dangerousness of their life cycle in the first place.

Sensitivity, honesty, kindness and freedom.

Our work aims to create innovative and high-quality objects on a small scale that honor the ancient Italian craftsmanship and utilize natural materials.

1. Design and create prototypes using recycled cardboard and leftover cork scraps from construction projects.

2. Begin developing a small sample of the final product in our laboratory, testing materials and solutions, and sharing new ideas with our glass artisans in a spirit of mutual honesty and respect.

3. Document the micro-production process and showcase it online, as well as at select well-chosen trade events.

4. Package the products using recycled paper materials, reusing paper waste from our local offices to create "paper cushions."

5. Use a leading global courier that participates in the GoGreen environmental protection program for worldwide shipments, with the goal of achieving zero emissions by 2050.

COKI's workplace is situated in a green area on the hills of Rimini, well-protected by dense vegetation. Within this park and its undergrowth, various animal species thrive, including squirrels and woodpeckers, which have made this environment their home. We also have several wonderful companions: cats, chickens (which roam freely and will not be used for food), and, until recently, a peacock named Francesco, who was with us for many years. Our building, which serves both as our home and workplace, is heated by a condensing boiler. For cooling, we take advantage of the winds that often blow through our hill and the thickness of our building’s perimeter walls, as we do not use air conditioners.

Given the low number of car trips we take, we have decided to keep our small-displacement work car, which is produced in our country, rather than replacing it with an electric vehicle. Creating a new vehicle is significantly more costly, both economically and environmentally, than maintaining what we already own.

We are a small company, and we recognize that our ability to revolutionize the world of marketing in design is limited. However, we strive to showcase our products and establish a strong digital presence. We are acutely aware of the significant environmental impact associated with participating in design fairs, which is why we take steps to minimize this impact. We actively collaborate with other like-minded organizations in this effort. To reduce our carbon footprint, we avoid sending our entire team to events, instead selecting personnel to attend on-site, even though this sometimes requires more effort. Additionally, you will find that we use minimal paper materials, such as catalogs, at our stands, opting instead for digital materials whenever possible.

Most of the food we eat follows a vegetarian and macrobiotic diet, and is mostly produced by us. We only purchase a few items: water (from the source closest to our home and workplace), rice, flour, seeds, legumes, tofu, tea, and a few other essentials. 

All our animals live freely, allowing them to eat whatever food they can catch in nature, tailored to their best sources of nourishment. The chickens are fed a diet of seeds along with vegetable and fruit scraps that we cook. Our cats are provided with fresh, meat-based food, even if we do not consume it ourselves, as they are strictly carnivorous. When we offer kibble, it comes from a selected source based on insects and contains no preservatives, sugars, or allergens.

For at least 15 years, we have chosen ICEA-certified organic products from Italian companies to care for ourselves and clean our home and work environments. Additionally, we can highlight three effective substances for cleaning: tap water, baking soda, and denatured alcohol. You don’t always need to use more products; doing so can significantly reduce your spending and minimize the risk of exposure to harmful substances.