Business Rural Winter 2021

| 31 CAMPAIGN FOR WOOL » Tom O’Sullivan Shearing in full swing at Ben Annand in South Otago. The shift back to natural wool fibre for floor coverings, carpets and home insulation is gaining momentum. Proud suppliers to: A BETTER PRICE FOR YOUR WOOL. FOR OVER 50 YEARS. elcodirect.co.nz Sourcing quality wool from shearing sheds around New Zealand to supply Bremworth’s spinning plants is a time honoured role for rural service company Elco Direct, which has been in the business of buying wool for more than 50 years. Bremworth is New Zealand’s most trusted pure wool carpet brand. Elco Direct has long standing, strong relationships with New Zealand sheep farmers and a reputation for excellent service and competitive pricing. Farmers are serviced through a network of buyers based in Cambridge (head o ice), Raetihi, Taihape, Taranaki, Taumarunui, Whanganui and Taupo. Much of the 60,000 bales of wool purchased every year by Elco Direct – equivalent to a clean wool yield of some 8 million kilograms - is supplied direct to Bremworth to be turned into premiumwool carpets and rugs. Bremworth only accepts wool that meets stringent quality standards for cleanliness, length, diameter and colour. There is no doubt that wool coming o the backs of New Zealand’s Romney-cross locks is a world leading ibre for carpets, says Chris Hart, ElcoDirect’s Business Development Manager. “New Zealandwool is recognised as a premiumproduct because of its tensile strength, along with its brightness and whiteness,” he says. Naturally ire resistant, wool also acts as a natural insulator and is a hypo-allergenic Buying quality NZ wool for more than 50 years ibre. Couple this with Bremworth’s advanced wool spinning technology and sustainability focus and it’s a pretty compelling story of Kiwi ingenuity and success, all the way from farmgate to loor. Elco Direct also supplies wool to other end users andmanufacturers in New Zealand as well as the wider NZ wool industry. This wool gets exported globally and inds its way intomany di erent products that include shoes, apparel, upholstery, blankets,and designer rugs to name a few. Established supply chains mean their farmer clients have the assurance that their wool ibre is meeting real market demand. Dealing directly with growers, Elco Direct o ers a great service to famers with no added costs for freight, market development or brokers. The company’s buyers arrange wool pickup andwoolshed cleanouts - even taking the dags away for crushing. “Our buyers are very hands on. The guys who are facilitating the wool purchases are also the ones driving the trucks, picking the wool up and talking with farmers and no wool is ever wasted.” While global wool prices are still very low, Chris observes there is a growingmarket preference for natural ibres and environmental sustainability. The newly formed StrongWool Action Group (SWAG) is another positive development for the industry.