Hay, we’re Pillow Wad
Our story begins over 30 years ago on our family farm in rural Northamptonshire, where Chris Peel-Yates started what we now call a ‘side-hustle’ – a way to generate extra income alongside our dairy herd and arable farm. This love blossomed into a commitment to provide the best natural pet feed and bedding, leading to the birth of Pillow Wad.
Fast forward to today, and we now have a beloved business making natural hay products for a variety of pets with an incredible team led by Chris’s son, Will Peel-Yates, and wife Liz.
From our hay to our straw, bedding, and ‘Nibbley Bit’ herbs – our mission is to make the best quality pet products here at the farm (or through our trusted local farmer network) with the least impact on our planet and the environment.
Quality & Natural Ingredients
We believe in the power of nature. That’s why our products are made with 100% natural ingredients, sourced from our farm and surrounding areas wherever possible. We’re proud to say that most of our products are British made, unchopped, and dust extracted for your pets’ comfort and health.
Our Pillow Wad range is a premium feed and bedding collection, perfectly crafted for rabbits, guinea pigs, and your small pets. We’re committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality in all our products, ensuring your pets get the best nature has to offer.
Harvest Happenings on the Farm
Life on the farm is a year-round adventure, and each season brings its own unique happenings.
Summer is a bustling time on the farm as we harvest our fields. The sun shines (fingers crossed!), the tractors roll out, and we gather the ripest, most nutritious hay for your pets. Each bag we produce is packed with care and has a unique tracking code, allowing us to trace it back to the very field it grew in. It’s a busy but rewarding season, seeing the fruits of our labour transformed into the cosy bedding and nutritious nibbles your pets love.
As autumn rolls in, the pace outside slows down a bit. Our fields take a well-deserved rest, soaking up the nutrients from the soil and preparing for the next growing season. Even in winter, there’s life stirring beneath the surface, with seeds safely tucked away under the soil, ready to sprout in the spring.
Through it all, we’re committed to working in harmony with nature, using sustainable farming practices that respect and protect our planet.
About Our Products
We pour our hearts into our products, and we hope your pets love them as much as we do! Our product range has been divided into three main areas:
– Feed & Bedding – From Meadow and Timothy Hay to Barley Straw and Woodshavings. Our range is from the finest cuts from superior crops, grown by hand with care. Sourced from local farms or made here on the farm where possible.
– Herbs and Forage (aka ‘Nibbley Bits’) – Fresh from the hedgerows to encourage natural foraging. These bags of nutritious treats and boredom busters are the perfect supplement to our core range of feed & bedding.
– Accessories – Personalities big and small need stimulation. Our ‘Hidey Houses’ are chewable dens to hide or doze in.
We’re proud to be a part of your pet’s journey, and we’re grateful for the trust you place in us. From our family to yours, thank you for choosing Pillow Wad.
Planet Kind: Our Commitment to Sustainability
For us, it’s all about sustainability. We are custodians and if we don’t look after the land now, the next generation suffers. A few years ago we began to plant trees in one of the corners of the farm and we love to watch the copse develop and change over time.
Like you, sustainable shopping is a priority for us. So, when it came to our packaging, we wanted to sell exactly what we’d choose to buy ourselves, with bags that give back to the soil when they’ve shed their skin – they’re made from potato start, and we think they’re pretty awesome:
– Plastic-free: Absolutely no polymers here; just spud starch!
– Fully biodegradable: It will break down & leave nothing nasty behind.
– 100% compostable: Pop it in your compost or food caddy.
– Breathable: To keep products fresher for longer.
But we don’t stop at our packaging. We are always thinking of other ways we can reduce our carbon pawprint; from installing 200 solar panel systems on all the barn roofs to produce clean, renewable energy for at least 25 years (reducing our carbon footprint by up to 23.9 tonnes per year and providing around 25% of our total energy requirements) – to replacing our fork trucks with electric ones.
