Hi godmoney,
There are currently two companies which have certified their latex raw material as organic. These are Latex Green and CoCo latex. Both of these have separate plantations which don’t use pesticides in their production cycle and have met the organic certification standards for their raw materials. This is an expensive and time consuming process so the latex that is made from materials that comes from these certified plantations is more expensive. I personally don’t believe it is a genuinely superior product to “natural” latex and I personally would have trouble justifying the price difference but for those who prefer organic materials as much as possible and are willing to pay for Dunlop latex which uses organic latex as the raw material then it is available. It should also be noted that the certification to my knowledge is for the raw materials only and not the finished core or the processing facilities so while it is more “organic” than “natural” latex … it is not technically an organic finished product. In other words the final product is not certified by NOP (USDA’s National Organic Program) and also not by any other certifying agency that I am aware of. In the US … only finished products that are certified by the NOP can be labelled “USDA certified organic” with the USDA seal and products that are certified by GOTS can be labelled “organic” but not “USDA certified” organic.
As to the outlets you mentioned …
https://www.foamsweetfoam.com/latex-mattresses.html I like their products and they also have good value for those that are looking for organic Dunlop or 100% natural Talalay. I have talked with them on many occasions and they have always been informative, knowledgeable, and helpful and they are also a member of this site. They are a good choice for a “choose your own layer” component mattress.
http://www.ergocomfort.com/mattresses/na/marseille/ is one of the Berkeley Ergonomics line which are a high quality line of latex and latex/innerspring hybrid mattresses that are also customizable. They are sold through a small group of independent outlets across the country and depending on the prices charged can also be good value IMO. You can see the full lineup here including prices. I personally would tend to avoid the adjustable base with the pocket coil mattresses. You can read more information about them from one of our members Sleepless in Dallas who purchased one of these after a long saga with unsuccessful mattresses (who actually returned the adjustable base for a flat slatted base). A forum search on Berkeley Ergonomics will bring up lots more information.
http://www.myessentia.com/ I would tend to avoid this company. There’s lots more about them starting with post #2 in this thread including a conversation with the company itself who never fully answered the questions I asked. I believe their mattresses are mislabeled and misadvertised and very expensive.
Abe’s Mattress in Riverside, Calif Website expired and some other warning signals from their previous site (which is still partly available in google cache and also from the wayback machine here). Their prices seem high although I don’t know the construction that is the basis of the quote and to say that their Talalay comes from England is a little strange considering the company that used to make Talalay in England has long ago gone bankrupt and much of their equipment was purchased by Latex international. There is another talalay manufacturer called Radium but they are in Holland. I am also sometimes suspicious of manufactureers who specialize in RV mattresses but which often are a way to make mattresses for the home without complying with the fire code although I don’t know if they fall into this category. There seems to be too many warning signs to to go here with so many better options in the area IMO.
http://www.customcomfortmattress.com/store/envira/alter-naturalist/?wpsc-product=alter-naturalist They are a larger regional factory direct outlet which makes some very high quality mattress, do things right, use good materials, some hand building construction methods, and have a good reputation for quality even among other manufacturers. They also carry higher prices than similar mattresses made by other independent manufacturers though and I would make some careful “value” comparisons here.
http://electropedicbeds.com/Latexpedic.html they are also good people and the outlets I have talked with have been very open and helpful about their mattresses but I find their websites very confusing. They specialize in adjustable beds though and while they do have some very nice mattresses (they have been adding to their choices lately) they are not quite in the same value range as some of the local manufacturers in your area. they also carry Pure Latex Bliss talalay latex mattresses which are a high quality lineup of mattresses made by a subsidiary of latex international but again their pricing is higher than most local manufacturers because they don’t want to undercut their own customers that buy their latex. They would be well worth including in your research if you are close by.
http://www.europeansleepshop.com/ They are correct IMO about the blended talalay latex which tends to be more durable in the lower ILD’s. With dunlop latex the 100% natural would be my strong preference. There is more information about this here and in post #2 here. I notice that they have changed their website recently so I’m not as familiar with what they are currently offering although when a manufacturer also offers some higher priced brands in the mix it is often an indication that their own mattresses are also higher priced than average.
There are quite a few other options in the general LA area listed in post #2 here but I woud definitely include a phone call to https://www.flexuscomfort.com/ in your todo list. Henry is a member of the site and is very knowledgeable and helpful and makes some excellent value mattresses that would be well worth a drive if your phone call and the distance warrants it.
The steel grid base you mentioned in connection with foam sweet foam is becoming very popular as a low cost but strong foundation option. At first I was somewhat skeptical for the reasons you mentioned but the feedback i have received from the manufacturers who use them has been good. There are quite a few variations of this type of foundation which are being used by several manufacturers. My own preference is the version with 11 strands of wire because the grid is more closely spaced. There is more information about them in the foundation thread here.
There’s lots of information here and in the LA thread to go through so I hope this helps.
Phoenix