Dapo | A cultural tribute

Dapo is the second brand to be launched by The Green Factory after Harith Green Carpenter in 2015. Established in 2017, it is Malaysia’s first PEFC-certified homeware brand and offers a diverse selection of home & living items made from local tropical hardwood that are sourced from our certified forests.

Dapo products embody elements of the Malaysian culture, which combine with contemporary impressions to fit our modern-day lifestyle. Each collection is named after Bahasa Malaysia words or derivations such as Pega (from 'pegang), Idan (from 'hidang'), Tuka (from 'tukang'), and Beka (from 'bekas') to pay homage to our mother tongue and spark some curiosity about our language. 

Mula - Dapo's first collection launched in 2017

Culture through design

When it comes to design, some collections take inspiration from the shapes of traditional products such as the Nyiru tray (inspired by a traditional tool used by local farmers to separate rice from husk) and the Gambu board (shaped to resemble the 'gambus' - a short-necked lute instrument that is commonly played as an accompaniment to traditional Malay dances).

The Nyiru - Tri set, inspired by the triangular shaped nyiru tray traditionally used by farmers who foster paddy fields for a living.

More recently, when gifting Dapo has moved away from box packaging to the more traditional 'bedung' or swaddle technique using traditional Malay batik fabric. As a more practical and eco-friendly alternative, the Malay batik can double as a table cloth or fashion accessory and need not be thrown away after unwrapping.

 Dapo's Gambu board wrapped in traditional Malay batik-print fabric

Our best-selling kiuh

As part of our goal to become a zero-waste manufacturer, Dapo’s Kochi phoneholder is a great demonstration of how waste can be repurposed to become one of the brand’s top selling items. Kochi’s first prototype started off as a paperweight, a block of excess wood born from cutting the outlines of our Pega board handles. This block was then rounded at the edges to a point that it lightly resembled the 'kuih kochi' - a sweet Malay glutenous rice dumpling. The Kochi collection has now evolved into 3 polished designs, and while it does not quite resemble the kiuh much these days, the name stays as a reminder of our journey to developing this collection.

Kochi collection, a zero-waste inspired design

Putting green on the table

Through the years, Dapo has also become a specialist in custom-made wooden tableware made for hotels, restaurants & cafes. The brand provides local F&B businesses with a refreshing selection of sustainable alternatives to commonly imported wood products from China, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand and advocates for Malaysia’s future direction towards sustainable living. 

 Custom jar holder for Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur made from PEFC-certified Balau wood

As Dapo continues to diversify its collections by drawing attention to different elements of our culture & heritage, we hope to merge the Malaysian identity with sustainable living, as it is in our nature to be in touch with nature.