Mission - healthy sleep: The SAMINA story

We firmly believe: Healthy sleep is the most important source of physical and mental rest and recovery. And we have one mission: To use our products to turn your night's sleep into a holistic regeneration period for body and mind.

For more than 25 years, we have been using sustainably sourced natural materials to craft by hand orthopaedically and bioenergetically perfect sleep systems, pillows and blankets. The history of SAMINA cannot be told in two sentences – but a few words can explain it in a nutshell: We have an exceptional product. And we are proud to be able to offer it to you.

From the pioneer to the entrepreneur with visions

The success story of SAMINA is above all associated with one name: Günther W. Amann-Jennson. It was not always obvious that our visionary company founder would pursue a career in business. For 13 years he ran a psychological practice in Feldkirch in Vorarlberg. His specialisation: sleep psychology. He believed that sleep was an indicator of the sleeper's well-being. His experiences in practice confirmed this: Patients with psychological problems generally did not sleep well. However, it was difficult to distinguish cause from effect. And so Günther Amann-Jennson decided to improve the sleep of his patients and use this for therapeutic purposes. To do this, he developed an integrated "healthy-sleep concept" to improve sleep quality and built a sleep system prototype. He showed the prototype to well-known bed and mattress companies. They all loved it, but none of them wanted to produce it. And so Günther Amann-Jennson decided to do it himself. In 1988 he founded SAMINA.

The road to the family business

Then everything happened quickly. The prototype was optimised. They chose the natural materials, organised their procurement and defined the manufacturing process. European and international patents were registered, and SAMINA registered as an international brand. Making the spinal support slats rather than the mattress the most important part of the bed was a revolutionary idea. And so was structuring the bed in layers like the human body. The launch was accompanied by the slogan "Never again back pain". There were plenty of obstacles. "Everything is difficult until it becomes easy" - that was the founder's motto. The same was true for the financing: 100,000 Austrian shillings – 7,000 euros in today's money – were needed as starting capital. The bank was not interested. They believed the business model has no future, because everyone already has a bed. His wife Elisabeth Amann gave up her savings and her job as a primary school teacher. She already had training in the textile sector, and so she became the head of production of their first own sewing room.

What started off as a 500-square-metre hall has become a production site with an area six times as big as the original one. Around 45 employees work here. All three of Amann's children remain closely attached to the company. Philipp Amann is responsible for sales, Theresa Amann is focusing on smooth operations and Clemens, although not actively working within the company, serves as advisor and supporter. The company founder is the managing director – and remains the visionary of SAMINA.

Milestones of success

We have received multiple awards: In 2010 and 2012 the Senses Vision Award – the Oscar of the hospitality business – for the hotel concept "Wellness in your sleep – Power Sleeping Rooms®". In 2013 SAMINA was nominated the "best family business in the Vorarlberg region" and the "best SME in Vorarlberg". One year later, the Hotel & Design Award in the category "sleep" followed.

Today we have more than 150 international distributors with a focus on the German-speaking countries. We increasingly focus on premium specialist retailers – and on our own network of branches with currently around 22 SAMINA specialist retailers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The upmarket hotel business is an important partner for us. Some 50 prestigious hotels have now included the healthy SAMINA sleep concept into their portfolio and have their staff trained as sleep coaches by us.

Over the past 25 years, we have delighted 300,000 customers with our healthy-sleep products – including many celebrity sleepers. Ever since we made our first shipments in April 1989, we have had nothing but positive feedback. And we still work for you every day with a passion.