crowdfunding

Wool. The original natural, renewable, plastic-free product that can be used to make clothing, home furnishings, works of art, insulation and even packaging. It is grown by sheep on properties across Australia, which in turn provides employment and income to countless people and support to so many broader communities. Wool is valued for its microbial, moisture-wicking, anti-static and fire-resistant properties. It is biodegradable and a part of the carbon cycle. Simply put – wool is amazing. 

We own and operate Fibre Arts Shed – a mini woollen mill on Darkinjung Country on the NSW Central Coast Hinterland. We love sourcing locally-grown wool to create beautiful yarn, woollen batts and wool stuffing. In order to create a high-quality product, we must discard all of the “dodgy bits” of wool – the dags, the matted wool, the second cuts, the belly wool, the wool that is damaged by urine and poo. This can be 40% or more of the original fleece. We also cannot use poor quality wool – wool that is grown on meat sheep or fleeces that have been damaged in some way. Often, entire fleeces are unusable. Traditionally, this “dodgy” wool has to be taken to the tip (usually in plastic bags) to be dumped. Sheep farmers and wool growers often have to pay a disposal fee to have this wool taken off their hands. 

We want to do things differently. 

– We want to take advantage of wool’s amazing biodegradable and nutrient-rich characteristics and turn these “dodgy bits” into pellets that can easily be added to the soil, providing much needed nutrients to the garden. 

– We want to operate a zero-waste mill and we want to work with local wool growers and sheep farmers to stop wool from ending up in the landfill.  

– We want to do our part to help combat climate change by returning natural elements to the soil with a fertiliser that is not made from harmful chemicals. 

And we need your help to be at the forefront of this wave of change. 

In order to turn dirty, greasy, natural wool into wool fertiliser pellets, we need to purchase two pieces of equipment: a shredder and a pelletizer with a special die that is engineered for wool. 

Your financial support of our Ready Fund Go Crowdfunding Campaign will make this possible. 

Are you intrigued and want to learn more? 

Here is some of the science behind why natural wool pellets work so well as a soil amendment. 

– 100% raw, natural and nutrient-rich wool (straight from the sheep to you, via our machinery) 

– 10% nitrogen content (N-P-K is 10-1-2 approx.) 

– Absorb and hold moisture (wool repels small amounts of water, but can easily absorb and hold larger amounts) 

– Helps maintain a constant soil temperature (wool is a natural and efficient insulator) 

– Helps repel snails and slugs (wool fibres contain tiny barbs which can deter little bugs) 

If you are interested in more in-depth scientific information about all the amazing benefits wool pellets in the garden, check out this great article from the UK website Farming Online . 

Our natural wool pellets are a #netzero #plasticfree #australianmanufacturing product. We need your support to help make this initiative a reality. Please contribute today to our crowdfunding campaign and be a part of something that will benefit our community. 

We have rewards available for gardeners and wool-lovers alike! Choose from a selection of wool pellets for your garden or yarn/fibre from our mill. We also have the option to support a local early childhood garden and outdoor education micro business by donating pellets to them for their gardens. Please note that we are only shipping the rewards to Australian addresses, and due to biosecurity restrictions, wool pellets cannot be shipped to Western Australia and Tasmania. If you live overseas and want to contribute to our campaign, please consider a donation reward. 

If we receive donations above our target goal, we will use the funds to make improvements to our shed so that we can manufacture the wool pellets more efficiently.