Gentleman Farmers is a new co-op of farmers who want a better price for our wool.
For too many years too many farmers have grown good wool and had no market for it that makes it worth investing in as a product in its own right.
Gentleman Farmers want to change that.
With an explosion in interest in British wool, British cloth manufacturing and the resurgence in the home grown craft market Gentleman Farmers want to sell our wool direct to people who want the guarantee of getting good wool for their own products and projects from people who know good wool..
In buying direct from the farm you are buying a product from farmers who weave the knowledge of their ancestors through their sheep and their wool handling. Gentleman Farmers want you to know where your wool came from and be able to connect with that landscape, the farmers and the animals who reared the fibre you are buying.
How we work
Do I buy straight from a farmer?
No, you buy from The Gentleman Farmers. Doing this makes it easy for you as all the fleece is in one place and it makes it easier for the farmers as they dont have to try and find buyers for their products, they have a bigger audience and we can sort and grade their wool, clean it up and post it out whilst they get on with what they do best - growing more wool.
Where do I buy from?
You can buy here on the website or via our Facebook and Etsy pages. We prefer Paypal as this is the most secure system.
Can I buy wholesale?
Yes. We can organise for wool to be sold in any quantity so long as we are able to source it and sourcing it may take time. We will not sell poor quality wool to make up an order.
How will my purchase reach me?
You have a number of options. We have been trialling my Hermes as a cost effective way of getting purchases out to buyers. If you prefer we can post by Royal Mail or for an increased charge use a more traditional courier service.
Postage will come up on the site as you order for the UK but if you are overseas we will send you details of your postage cost to be paid seperately when we know the exact weight and size of your parcel. Please note we use Parcel Monkey and Parcel 2 Go comparison sites to find the cheapest overseas postage. Please recommend an agent if you know of someone cheaper.
Introducing the Gentleman Farmers
What does a farmer get from the sale?
We are working out what percentage a farmer will take from each sale. We dont know yet how much time we will have to put in to organising fleece collection, marketing and the admin of Gentleman Farmers. We hope to give the farmer a minimum of 60% of each sale with a percentage also going to support young farmers and rare breed societies.
An average kilo of wool sold through the British Wool Marketing Board is £1.50 paid 12 months in arrears. Sold cooperatively with us a farmer could raise a minimum of £6 per kilo an increase of 300% paid as the sales are made.
We are also looking at other options for lower quality wool like a mixed yarn product spun locally for the future again as a cooperative venture.
What about young farmers and breed societies?
We are setting up a fund that will have an application process. Young Farmers will apply for what they need. As well as a grant they will be linked with a mentor who they can use for advice and guidance if they need additional support to make farming their future.
We are working with rare breed societies to look at what their needs are.