#116 Custodian of land and animals – Richard Daugherty

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Richard Daugherty is a South African wool grower based in Australia. He and his wife Sarah and their two children farm sheep and cattle on Balala Station west of Uralla since 2011.

Richard is highly committed to regenerative farming and ensuring high animal welfare standards. In this episode, Richard shares his story of starting to farm merino sheep and provides insights into different aspects of his sustainable sheep farming practices.

This episode is recorded in partnership with The Schneider Group and their Authentico Integrity Scheme.

More information about the Authentico can be found here: https://www.gschneider.com/authentico/

 

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How to connect with Richard Daugherty

Balala Station website: https://www.balala.com.au/

 

Episodes mentioned

Ralf Kunert from Naturamus about Organic Lanolin: Episode 105

Giovanni and Marco Schneider from The Schneider Group: Episode 80

Willy Gallia from Fuhrmann part of The Schneider Group: Episode 45

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#115 How Merino Sheep can Thrive in Europe – Lesley Prior

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Lesley Prior successfully breeds merino sheep on her farm near Devon in the UK. Something many sheep farmers never thought possible. In this Wool Academy Podcast interview, Lesley shares her vision of creating a large merino sheep flock in Europe and gives insights into her Tellenby Merino Sheep breeding business.

 

Watch the discussion on video by clicking below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on the podcast player above or on apple podcast or stitcher.

 

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How to connect with Lesley Prior

Tellenby Merino website: https://www.tellenbymerino.com/

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#114 It is not over until it is over – Wool Textile Recycling

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In this Wool Academy Podcast episode, wool textile recycling expert Dr. John Parkinson shares the story of why he started his new wool textile recycling business Iinouiio which stands for It is not over until it is over. Looking back at a life long experience in the textile recycling industry, Dr John Parkinson shares insights into the trade.

 

Watch the discussion on video by clicking below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on the podcast player above or on apple podcast or stitcher.

 

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How to connect with Dr. John Parkinson

Iinouiio website: https://www.iinouiio.com/

 

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#113 How to develop coarse wool product applications

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In this Wool Academy Podcast episode, Sustainability Wool Industry Expert and Journalist Tone Skårdal Tobiasson shares insights into the different wool research projects she helped develop and coordinate successfully in Norway. The common thread of these Norwegian wool projects is the goal to identify and develop product applications for coarse wool while also working towards a more sustainable textile industry.

 

Watch the discussion on video by clicking below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on the podcast player above or on apple podcast or stitcher.

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Background Season 2

After being on a break for around 1,5 years, the Wool Academy Podcast is back with its Season 2 episodes. The focus of the podcast remains the same – learning from wool industry experts and telling the beautiful stories wool has to tell. However, a few things have also changed as well. In January 2020, I joined an Albanian Wool Trading Company called Flock Wool. In many of the season 2 episodes, you will, therefore, be invited to join the Flock Wool journey as we learn how to start and develop a little wool trading company in Albania. You will be hearing discussions between Evan Thomsen and myself as we discuss different aspects of the Flock Wool business. On this journey, I will also speak to other people in the industry trying to set up similar ventures. One more new feature, all interviews are recorded by video, so you can now not only listen on the go as usual but also watch if you feel like it. I hope you enjoy season 2 of the Wool Academy Podcast.

About Flock Wool

Founded in 2019, Flock Wool Trading Company is an international wool export company headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, USA, with an operational HQ in southern Albania. The Flock Wool team is located in Albania, Germany, and the US in order to best serve its customers. All of the company’s wool is 100% sourced from Albania.

Website: https://flockwool.com/

How to connect with Tone Skårdal Tobiasson

Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion

Fibershed

Podcast with Rebecca Burgess from Fibershed

Podcast episode with Tone in 2016

Krus Facebook Group

LinkedIn Profile from Tone

 

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#112 When Wool Prices Collapse

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The Covid-19 pandemic has lead to a strong decrease of coarse wool prices. What does that mean for the little Flock Wool Trading Company who just collected its first container of Albanian wool ready for sale? CEO of Flock Wool, Evan Thomsen, and CMO Elisabeth van Delden talk openly about the devastating situation the pandemic has put the start-up into.

 

Watch the discussion on video by clicking below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on the podcast player above or on apple podcast or stitcher.

YouTube

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Background Season 2

After being on a break for around 1,5 years, the Wool Academy Podcast is back with its Season 2 episodes. The focus of the podcast remains the same – learning from wool industry experts and telling the beautiful stories wool has to tell. However, a few things have also changed as well. In January 2020, I joined an Albanian Wool Trading Company called Flock Wool. In many of the season 2 episodes, you will, therefore, be invited to join the Flock Wool journey as we learn how to start and develop a little wool trading company in Albania. You will be hearing discussions between Evan Thomsen and myself as we discuss different aspects of the Flock Wool business. On this journey, I will also speak to other people in the industry trying to set up similar ventures. One more new feature, all interviews are recorded by video, so you can now not only listen on the go as usual but also watch if you feel like it. I hope you enjoy season 2 of the Wool Academy Podcast.

About Flock Wool

Founded in 2019, Flock Wool Trading Company is an international wool export company headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, USA, with an operational HQ in southern Albania. The Flock Wool team is located in Albania, Germany, and the US in order to best serve its customers. All of the company’s wool is 100% sourced from Albania.

 

How to connect with Evan Thomsen

Website: https://flockwool.com/

 

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Nora and Victor Jelinek from Visual NarrativeVisual Narrative
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#111 Lean methodologies and the minimum viable product – our approach to starting Flock Wool

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In this video, you can listen to Evan Thomsen and Elisabeth van Delden from Flock Wool talk about how they applied the lean methodologies and the concept of a minimum viable product to their wool trading business Flock Wool based out of Albanian.

 

Watch the discussion on video by clicking below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on the podcast player above or on apple podcast or stitcher.

YouTube

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Background Season 2

After being on a break for around 1,5 years, the Wool Academy Podcast is back with its Season 2 episodes. The focus of the podcast remains the same – learning from wool industry experts and telling the beautiful stories wool has to tell. However, a few things have also changed as well. In January 2020, I joined an Albanian Wool Trading Company called Flock Wool. In many of the season 2 episodes, you will, therefore, be invited to join the Flock Wool journey as we learn how to start and develop a little wool trading company in Albania. You will be hearing discussions between Evan Thomsen and myself as we discuss different aspects of the Flock Wool business. On this journey, I will also speak to other people in the industry trying to set up similar ventures. One more new feature, all interviews are recorded by video, so you can now not only listen on the go as usual but also watch if you feel like it. I hope you enjoy season 2 of the Wool Academy Podcast.

About Flock Wool

Founded in 2019, Flock Wool Trading Company is an international wool export company headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, USA, with an operational HQ in southern Albania. The Flock Wool team is located in Albania, Germany, and the US in order to best serve its customers. All of the company’s wool is 100% sourced from Albania.

 

How to connect with Evan Thomsen

Website: https://flockwool.com/

 

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Cody Nicholson Stratton and Thomas Stratton from Foggy Bottom BoysFoggy Bottom Boys

#110 First Wool Collection

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In this Wool Academy Podcast Episode, you will learn how the Flock Wool Team collected its first container of Albanian wool. Evan Thomsen, CEO of Flock Wool and Elisabeth van Delden discuss the events as and how they happened.

 

Watch the discussion on video by clicking below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on the podcast player above or on apple podcast or stitcher.

YouTube

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Background Season 2

After being on a break for around 1,5 years, the Wool Academy Podcast is back with its Season 2 episodes. The focus of the podcast remains the same – learning from wool industry experts and telling the beautiful stories wool has to tell. However, a few things have also changed as well. In January 2020, I joined an Albanian Wool Trading Company called Flock Wool. In many of the season 2 episodes, you will, therefore, be invited to join the Flock Wool journey as we learn how to start and develop a little wool trading company in Albania. You will be hearing discussions between Evan Thomsen and myself as we discuss different aspects of the Flock Wool business. On this journey, I will also speak to other people in the industry trying to set up similar ventures. One more new feature, all interviews are recorded by video, so you can now not only listen on the go as usual but also watch if you feel like it. I hope you enjoy season 2 of the Wool Academy Podcast.

About Flock Wool

Founded in 2019, Flock Wool Trading Company is an international wool export company headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, USA, with an operational HQ in southern Albania. The Flock Wool team is located in Albania, Germany, and the US in order to best serve its customers. All of the company’s wool is 100% sourced from Albania.

 

How to connect with Evan Thomsen

Website: https://flockwool.com/

 

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#109 Albanian Sheep and Wool

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This podcast episode is all about getting to know Albanian Sheep and their wool. Evan Thomsen and Elisabeth van Delden from Flock Wool talk about the different Albanian sheep breeds and the different wool qualities.

 

Watch the discussion on video by clicking below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on the podcast player above or on apple podcast or stitcher.

YouTube

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Background Season 2

After being on a break for around 1,5 years, the Wool Academy Podcast is back with its Season 2 episodes. The focus of the podcast remains the same – learning from wool industry experts and telling the beautiful stories wool has to tell. However, a few things have also changed as well. In January 2020, I joined an Albanian Wool Trading Company called Flock Wool. In many of the season 2 episodes, you will, therefore, be invited to join the Flock Wool journey as we learn how to start and develop a little wool trading company in Albania. You will be hearing discussions between Evan Thomsen and myself as we discuss different aspects of the Flock Wool business. On this journey, I will also speak to other people in the industry trying to set up similar ventures. One more new feature, all interviews are recorded by video, so you can now not only listen on the go as usual but also watch if you feel like it. I hope you enjoy season 2 of the Wool Academy Podcast.

About Flock Wool

Founded in 2019, Flock Wool Trading Company is an international wool export company headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, USA, with an operational HQ in southern Albania. The Flock Wool team is located in Albania, Germany, and the US in order to best serve its customers. All of the company’s wool is 100% sourced from Albania.

 

How to connect with Evan Thomsen

Website: https://flockwool.com/

 

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Why we all need to promote wool

Ever since I was working in the wool industry while at the IWTO as well as working as a consultant, I heard wool industry members say again and again that ‘we need to promote wool more’ or ‘we have failed to promote wool more’.

We need to promote wool more – who is we?

It was never made clear who this “WE” to promote wool more was in particular, but clearly there was an expectation that it had to be done by someone.  This call for more promotion was expressed in working groups as well as in a huge number of presentations held throughout the many IWTO Congresses I attended. If you listen to some of the presentations of the digital IWTO Congress 2020, you can even find this call for action again and again expressed by the speakers.

Why are we not promoting wool enough?

Of course, as a communications and marketing professional, I could not agree more. Obviously to me, communicating regularly and clearly about wool is of utmost importance. However, this repeated call to action left me wondering, why do we keep saying that we need to promote wool more but clearly nobody is doing enough of it, otherwise this claim would eventually become obsolete? If it is clear what needs to be done, why isn’t anybody doing anything about it?

Don’t get me wrong, I think many wool industry organisations around the world are doing a great job of promoting wool. Woolmark, IWTO, American Wool, British Wool just to name a few. Also, many growers, manufacturing companies and brands are active in promoting wool and are doing a fantastic job (in my humble opinion).

But despite all of this communications, the claim persists that we need to do more to promote wool.

So I am beginning to wonder. Could it be that the expression ‘We need to promote wool more’ is similar to the expression of ‘I need to do more sports’ or ‘I need to go on a diet’? Is it a matter of wanting a certain outcome but not really wanting to put in all the effort, time and money? Truth be told, communicating (or promoting something) does take some effort of defining a strategy and implementing it effectively. Are we not willing to put in the work?

An alternative reason why we are not doing more to promote wool could be that we remember the good old times. Have we not yet fully accepted the change of time and still vividly remember the times where we had the International Wool Secretariat with huge advertising budgets promoting wool through adverts in fashion magazines, billboards and tv? Do we still hold the expectation that our wool industry bodies are responsible for promoting our fibre? Are we putting the responsibility only in their shoes? If that were the case then we again don’t seem to be willing to put in the effort needed as our industry bodies are notoriously understaffed and underbudgeted to get the job done to meet our high expectations.

Everybody needs to promote wool

But even if we were to fund our industry bodies more generously, times have changed. What I mean by that is that promotion and communications are done in a very different way today compared to what it used to be. In the world we live in today, every one of us needs to communicate about wool, it is everyone’s job.

Communications guru Gary Vaynerchuk came up with the message that  ‘Every business today is a media company besides being the business or product they are specialised in’. We no longer need printing press, large billboards or gatekeepers such as journalists or newspapers to get our message out there. With the internet and the different social media platforms that exist, we operate in a world where it has never been easier and cheaper for each and every one of us to communicate about wool and about our industry. The only challenge remains: We need to do it.

There are already many wonderful examples out there of businesses who are promoting our fibre and our industry online.

Just like the sporting equipment and the diet plans are available, so are the tools to promote our beautiful wool fibre. Every each and one of us is accountable for putting in the effort to reach our collective goal of making our fibre better known.

#108 About the Albanian Wool Industry

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In this interview, Flock Wool CEO Evan Thomsen gives insights about the Albanian wool industry. We discuss reasons why the Albanian wool industry got dismantled 30 years ago, why it never got back on its feet and what the situation is today.

 

Watch the interview with Evan Thomsen on video by clicking below. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast on the podcast player above or on apple podcast or stitcher.

YouTube

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Background Season 2

After being on a break for around 1,5 years, the Wool Academy Podcast is back with its Season 2 episodes. The focus of the podcast remains the same – learning from wool industry experts and telling the beautiful stories wool has to tell. However, a few things have also changed as well. In January 2020, I joined an Albanian Wool Trading Company called Flock Wool. In many of the season 2 episodes, you will, therefore, be invited to join the Flock Wool journey as we learn how to start and develop a little wool trading company in Albania. You will be hearing discussions between Evan Thomsen and myself as we discuss different aspects of the Flock Wool business. On this journey, I will also speak to other people in the industry trying to set up similar ventures. One more new feature, all interviews are recorded by video, so you can now not only listen on the go as usual but also watch if you feel like it. I hope you enjoy season 2 of the Wool Academy Podcast.

About Flock Wool

Founded in 2019, Flock Wool Trading Company is an international wool export company headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, USA, with an operational HQ in southern Albania. The Flock Wool team is located in Albania, Germany, and the US in order to best serve its customers. All of the company’s wool is 100% sourced from Albania.

 

How to connect with Evan Thomsen

Website: https://flockwool.com/

 

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