Grapat

Grapat - A Handful of Happiness

The word "Grapat" comes from Catalan and means something like "a handful". With this, the young company wants to remind us that often the small things that we overlook in everyday life are the really important ones. And so the toys from Grapat are also unagitated and simple, yet diverse and beautifully unique.

Each figure and each wooden building block is pleasant to hold.All wooden blocks, all wooden figures and each set can be combined with each other.The toy invites children to stack, construct, discover, count, create patterns and much more....

How are the wooden toys from Grapat made?

Why do children need prefabricated toys? Don't nature and everyday life offer enough objects to discover, explore and play with?

The inspiration for the wooden toys by Grapat came from the realisation that playing is like an inner urge for children, something that lets them dive into a parallel world with its own rules and its own time.

In order to do justice to this sacred moment of play, which always takes place in the now, in the present, the desire arose to create toys that encourage people to create their own worlds.

Grapat is a family project.The elements that surround the family in their home and workshop in the countryside of Catalonia, the earth, the wood, the fire and the water of the river provide inspiration for the beautiful toy.The development of the toys, the shapes and colours are often based on Montessori and Waldorf education.The wooden toys are made in cooperation with local craftsmen.

Wooden toys

Grapat mainly uses beech and birch.Wood is robust, yet both soft and hard.It is warm, sounds good and smells good.At Grapat, the wood is coloured with natural dyes and not with acrylic paints.This maintains the possibility of being able to come into contact with the wood.The very own characteristics and qualities of wood as a material, the drawing of the grain, the nuances of colour, can be experienced in this way. The colour does not flake off the wood when it falls to the ground or gets older, as it penetrates deep into the interior of the piece and bonds with the wood in a natural way.The surface treatments are carried out with waxes and oils of vegetable origin.The smell of these combines with the smell of wood and appeals wonderfully to the senses!

Each toy from Grapat is unique, made by hand and painted by hand.

Sustainable and social!

The wood used comes from sustainable forestry.The colours are water-based and non-toxic and comply with European toy safety regulations.The glue used is 100% formaldehyde-free.The fabric for the bags that are included in some of the products comes from large companies that throw the material away when they find a small flaw.Since at Grapat the bags are made by hand, these defects do not matter and the fabric can be given a second life.Since 2019, the company has also dispensed 100% with the use of plastic in its packaging.

Almost all employees live near the company and are based in Catalonia.For the packaging process, Grapat works with foundations that care for people with mental health problems.The structure within the company is not hierarchical.Work is done in self-governance and with shared authority.Reconciling family and work is a topic to which Grapat devotes special attention.The working hours of the employees are adapted to their personal needs.