| 9 RURAL PEOPLE » Kaiora Downs: Jane and Mark Schwass Once the wool has been shorn it is sent for scouring to Timaru. Once this has happened, it is sent to Christchurch to be dyed and felted before being cut into mat size portions. Back on the farm the felted mats are edged and backed with natural latex to prevent slipping. Growth in synthetics has really struck a knife through the value of cross-bred wools, something many enterprising people, such as Mark and Jane, are beginning to do something about. “Especially for the thicker micron wool our ewes produce, they were on the brink of becoming just a waste product. When you think of how beautiful wool is, and the integrity of care for our sheep and the wonderful environment they live, that’s a very sad situation,” Mark adds. Wool mats produced overseas are very expensive and the couple both felt Kiwis would jump at the chance to own a beautifully felted mat grown by kiwi sheep. Especially finding a person here in New Zealand, close to the farm, who could dye and felt the wool, made the business model very viable. “There’s just a great feeling attached to producing a local product and transforming it locally into something people can cherish and enjoy.” Each mat is 100% pure wool, plain and simple, with the exception of the latex backing. At 18mm thick and weighting 1.4 kg they’ve been designed to provide those practising yoga or pilates with just the right level of cushioning. And with the natural lanolin of the wool, the mats come into their own mitigating moisture and odour. Best of all, once the exercise mats have ended their life for that purpose, they are ready for upcycling into pet beds or for weed matting. Once finally at the end of their days, the mat naturally biodegrades and is fit for composting. “We always had this idea of the product being cyclical, moving from one useful purpose to another before composting back into the earth.” To view the mats offered a visit to the on-line shop at kaioradownsmats.co.nz is a good starting place. We will hold a ram sale onWednesday 11th January in the Haka Valley. Feel free to call Steve or Russell anytime.
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