Wool Academy with Elisabeth van Delden

In this interview CEO of Flock Wool, Evan Thomsen, shares the story of how he developed the idea for Flock Wool, an Albanian Wool Trading company. You will learn how Evan and his wife Tyanna set out to find the right team, develop the business strategy, and start the business.

Managing Director Ralf Kunert of Naturamus explains what can be achieved when creating partnerships across different industries.

One of the by-products of scouring (washing) wool is wool grease, which is refined into lanolin. Lanolin is an important raw material for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry as it forms the basis for lipsticks and creams.

Naturamus specializes in sourcing natural organic raw materials such as lanolin. Naturamus is part of WALA, a German-based company in the natural cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry founded in 1935.

In 2016, Naturamus and Fuhrmann partnered to create an innovative product that had never existed before: Organic Lanolin. Both partners brought different expertise to the table. Naturamus offered insights from the consumer market and the requirements of the cosmetic industry and Fuhrmann had the organic on-farm and processing expertise.

The partnership and direct dialogue between Fuhrmann and Naturamus enabled the Fuhrmann team to identify exactly what could be done in order to meet the high requirements of the organic cosmetic industry from the farm stage. While the Fuhrmann farms as well as the mill, both meet all the GOTS organic standard requirements for primary production and wool processing, the small concentrated amounts of chemicals still contained in the wool grease were above the accepted level for an organic lanolin product destined for skincare products. The challenge for the Fuhrmann team was, therefore, to identify which processes within the wool production could be changed in such a way that animal welfare and quality standards could still be met while also reducing allowed chemical traces in the organic lanolin product.

On-farm, the identified solution lay in doing the routine health checks at a different point in time of the year or even avoiding the use of certain drugs approved by the organic standard of primary production. This change in animal welfare management ensures that chemical traces vanish from the lanolin when the wool is shorn and the sheep can stay healthy as always.

In the mill, improvements were made in the way wool lots were separated into different lots for processing to ensure the organic lanolin stays pure.

Once the lanolin leaves the Fuhrmann mill, it is sent to a refining mill Inquimec in Buenos Aires for filtering and purifying. Based on the collaboration, Inquimec refining mill also achieved the certification of organic status in its process. It is as far as we know, the only company in the world that has certified this organic process.

From Argentina, the lanolin is shipped to Naturamus in Germany where it gets filtered one additional time. The final result is a 100% organic lanolin product ready to create the most natural cosmetic products the world has to offer.

Monica Ebert is the International Brand Development Manager at BKB in South Africa. Part of Monica's work portfolio is the company's outdoor apparel brand Core Merino. In this episode, Monica talks about the opportunities and challenges of marketing a South African merino wool product.

Monica Ebert Is The International Brand Development Manager At BKB In South Africa. Her Responsibilities Include Managing The Companies Clothing Line Core Merino. Monica Joined BKB In March Of 2018 After Living And Working In The Wool Industry In New Zealand And The United States. Monica’s Passion For The Wool Industry Stems From Her Lifelong Involvement In The Sheep Industry Having Been Born Into A Small Purebred Sheep Operation In Kansas, USA. She Received Her Bachelor’s Degrees In Apparel Design And Apparel Marketing From Kansas State University And Completed Her Master’s Degree At Angelo State University Where She Focused Her Research Efforts On Sheep And Wool Production And Apparel Product Development Concentrating On The Processing And Manufacturing Of Wool Into Activewear Garments. Through Her Research And The Development Of A Supply Chain Entirely Within The United States Textile Industry, She Gained Unique Insights Of The Wool Supply Chain From “Sheep To Shop”.

Yvar Monasch is the Managing Director at Best Wool Carpets, a company based in the Netherlands. In this interview, Yvar shares insights about the tufting carpet industry and about Best Wool Carpets. As the company's name already conveys, Best Wool Carpets is an advocate for wool and is constantly trying to find new ways to communicate the wool message. 

Born (1970) and raised in The Netherlands Yvar has always been interested in the sales and production side of business. During his study of general economics at the University of Amsterdam Yvar got in charge of a piano store on one of the canals in Amsterdam. Yvar joined Best Wool Carpets in 1998, doing a management buyout in 2000 and since then running it together with a highly engaged team. It is an everyday dedication trying to do things differently than others and to exceed expectations. The three core values of Yvar are: • Always deliver on one’s promise • If you think you know; ask and if you know; act • All the success and all the failures are a team effort.

Over the course of one year, Luke Hooke wore only wool, documenting his journey as his Year of Wool. In this podcast interview, Luke reflects on his experience during the last 12 months.

Luke Hooke is the young Australian behind Year of Wool, a project promoting wool clothing and the wool industry. For 365 days Luke wore only wool and wool blend clothing to demonstrate the versatility and incredible natural qualities of wool and wool clothing. Having grown up on a wool growing farm in Victoria, Australia, Luke explored post-farm-gate part of the wool industry, promoting the wonderful fibre that is wool while also learning more about the industry.

Eric Bjergso introduces us to the Canadian sheep and wool industry. In his interview, Eric provides insights into the history of the Canadian wool industry, sheep breeds and wool qualities. He describes the challenges and opportunities Canadian wool growers are faced with and how the Co-operative is supporting its members in the same.

Eric Bjergso is the General Manager of the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited. Eric is a graduate of the Agricultural College. He joined the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited in 1976 and has been the General Manager since 1983.

Celebrating episode 100 of the Wool Academy Podcast it is time to hear more about the host of the show, Elisabeth van Delden. In this episode, Monica Ebert, a former guest of the show, interviews Elisabeth about the podcast. Elisabeth will take you behind the scene of the podcast. You will learn how Elisabeth came up with the idea for Wool Academy, how each episode is created and what the future will bring for the podcast.

Rebecca Burgess introduces the Fibershed, a non-profit organization that explores and actively implements regional textile fiber and natural dye supply chains. In the interview, Rebecca explains how the idea for Fibershed developed and how it became an ever-growing self-sufficient community of wool growers, ranchers, designers, clothmakers and many more. She explains the concept of carbon farming, counter-intuitive funding models that work and how well-established brands can become part of the community. The Fibershed is a key solution to reversing climate change and an inspiration to the wider industry to think in new and different ways.

Rebecca Burgess is the founder of the Fibershed. Rebecca started the Fibershed originally with her local wardrobe project where she sourced all her clothing within a radius of 150-miles to where she lives. Fibershed is a non-profit organization focused on education, advocacy and research efforts that directly drive economic development for de-centralized fiber and natural dye systems. Organizational goals include developing a working model for 'soil-to-soil' agriculture and manufacturing processes. Our work is designed to empower small and mid-scale farmers, designers and brands to engage in Climate Beneficial agricultural practices that bring regionally and regeneratively farmed textiles directly to the marketplace. 

Gudrun Rógvadóttir is the co-founder of the Faroe Island Knitwear label Gudrun and Gudrun. Together with the designer Gudrun Ludvig she started the label in 2000. Ever since the label grew to a well-known knitwear brand. In this podcast episode, Gudrun tells the story of how and why she started the label. She also introduces us to the Faroe Island wool and sheep industry and gives insights on how the label empowers women.

Gudrun and Gudrun is a knitwear company specialised in hand-knit. The company was founded in 2002 by two Faroese women and the creative process of design is very closely linked to the isolation of the place. The vision of the company is to make a difference, something very simple and yet very ambitious. The knitwear label wants to make clothes that meet the standards of conscious customers who care about each other, the environment, our common natural resources and who yet want to be stylish. The hand-knitted collections are made in the homes of female knitters on the Faroe Islands, Jordan and Peru as part of a women's empowerment project. The Faroe Islands are 18 tiny islands situated in the North Atlantic, between Iceland and Norway. Only 45,000 people live on the islands. Still, it is a nation of its own culture and own language.

James Braszell is a full-time shearer based in Australia. James found a creative way of sharing his passion for his work and life in the shearing sheds through his photography. Every day while shearing, James captures unique moments of life in the shearing shed. In his Wool Academy Podcast interview, James shares insights into the work and life as a shearer and how he developed his second career as a photographer.

In 2013, James Braszell, started working full time in rural Australia as a rouseabout. He wasn’t long into his time in the woolsheds when he realised it would be worth getting a camera and capturing the unique scenes he found around me every day. The people, the places, the animals and even the dirt and the dust – there was so much to capture everywhere he went! That was how James started his photography business. Years later and his passion for the job has now only grown and he is now shearing full time. His photography has taken him all over the country and into countless woolsheds and farms where he has met many wonderful people on the way and snapped thousands of photos.