MATERIALS WE USE
LAKELAND WOOL
Herdwick sheep are unique to the Lake District. Hardy as anything, they live on the fells through the toughest of winters. Born and raised on the same patch of land they’ll spend all their lives on. You can’t get more local than that. They’re also rather good looking, as far as sheep go.
We figured that if the wool’s good enough for the Herdwicks, it must be good enough for our cooler products. For our first production, we thought we’d go to a local farm, buy some wool and sew it in our bags. Little did we know.
Firstly, we were looking for wool in winter, 6 months away from the sheering seasons on either side of the winter. With the help from some local friends, we managed to collect 50 kgs of fleece from several local farms.
Secondly, The Natural Fibre Company in Cornwall sorted the carding and scouring, to make sure your cooler bag doesn’t smell like a flock of Herdwicks have joined the family picnic.
Thirdly, our local production guru Vera quilts the layers of wool in between fine cotton muslin, before inserting the insulation and hand-finishing the bags in West Cumbria.
With the sheering season around the corner, we’re now busying ourselves to secure another batch of local wool for our production of Les and Derek in the coming 12 months. We’ve learned a lesson or two.
