Yothaka has been one of Thailand’s leading furniture exporters for more than a decade. The company’s furniture products have brought Yothaka broad recognition as well as laurels.

Through fine craftsmanship, featuring vernacular touches, as well as innovative designs, Yothaka has successfully gained worldwide recognition for its products. Suwan Kongkhunthain, co-founder of the company, says a combination of factors are responsible for the success of Yothaka’s products.

“The best way to describe our products is that they represent a mix of technology and craftsmanship,” Suwan says.

Yothaka’s main products are household furniture, such as beds, chairs, sofas, and tables, as well as decorative items.

Aesthetic appeal
Yothaka has gained a great deal of recognition for its design work, receiving international design awards from the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization during 2003-2005, and from the Hong Kong Design Center in 2004.

Over several decades, Yothaka has adhered to its original principles of using resources and human resources that are readily available locally, in the form of utilizing materials sourced from natural surroundings, and by employing local weavers, respectively.

The company began by using water hyacinth, a spongy, tropical, water-borne plant commonly found in rivers as a raw material for its products. This was expanded to include Yan Lipao (Lygodium Ciliare), a kind of fern which grows on vines in abundance in the forests of the south of Thailand, and pineapple fiber paper, which is a light, durable, handmade material with a smooth finish.

As well as emphasizing rural resources, Suwan says Yothaka has learned to fully understand the implications of urban design and modern technologies, aiming to enhance rustic beauty and ensure the durability of natural materials to meet international standards and satisfy consumer demand for these kinds of products.

Yothaka has also released a collection of furniture made from recycled plastic (polyurethane-polyethylene), which represents the company’s expansion into ‘semi-outdoor’ furnishings.

The management strategy should difficult periods be encountered is to be patient and persistent. Suwan suggests that the company’s management team ought to hold on tightly to its initial desire to promote environmentally-friendly, locally-crafted products, which were virtually unheard of just 20 years ago.

“I’ve learned that we have to believe in ourselves and persist in what we are doing so that one day it finally pays off,” Suwan says. He says he will continue working with these versatile natural materials while keeping an eye out for new techniques or forms to present to the market at a later date.

Realistic approach
While Yothaka entered the market at an easy pace, this represents a realistic approach when all things are considered. The management team doesn’t push too hard or set targets that are clearly beyond the company's reach. Suwan says he will stage events every once in a while once the current crisis reaches a turning point.