In this interview, Flock Wool CEO Evan Thomsen talks about how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the company’s operations in getting the company up and running to collect its first wool. Gain insights on how to stay flexible in business during uncertain times.

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.

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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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PreviousNext

Yvar Monasch is the Managing Director at Best Wool Carpets, a company based in the Netherlands. In this interview, Yvar shares insights about the tufting carpet industry and about Best Wool Carpets. As the company’s name already conveys, Best Wool Carpets is an advocate for wool and is constantly trying to find new ways to communicate the wool message.

About Yvar Monasch

Born (1970) and raised in The Netherlands Yvar has always been interested in the sales and production side of business.
During his study of general economics at the University of Amsterdam Yvar got in charge of a piano store on one of the canals in Amsterdam.
Yvar joined Best Wool Carpets in 1998, doing a management buyout in 2000 and since then running it together with a highly engaged team.
It is an everyday dedication trying to do things differently than others and to exceed expectations.
The three core values of Yvar are:
• Always deliver on one’s promise
• If you think you know; ask and if you know; act
• All the success and all the failures are a team effort

Connect with Yvar Monasch here

Website of Best Wool Carpets

Best Wool Carpets on Facebook and LinkedIn

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About Eric Bjergso

Eric Bjergso is the General Manager of the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited. Eric is a graduate of the Agricultural College. He joined the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited in 1976 and has been the General Manager since 1983.

Connect with Eric Bjergso here

Canadian Co-ooperative Wool Growers Canada website

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Rebecca Burgess introduces the Fibershed, a non-profit organization that explores and actively implements regional textile fiber and natural dye supply chains. In the interview, Rebecca explains how the idea for Fibershed developed and how it became an ever-growing self-sufficient community of wool growers, ranchers, designers, clothmakers and many more. She explains the concept of carbon farming, counter-intuitive funding models that work and how well-established brands can become part of the community. The Fibershed is a key solution to reversing climate change and an inspiration to the wider industry to think in new and different ways.

About the Fibershed

Rebecca Burgess is the founder of the Fibershed. Rebecca started the Fibershed originally with her local wardrobe project where she sourced all her clothing within a radius of 150-miles to where she lives.

Fibershed is a non-profit organization focused on education, advocacy and research efforts that directly drive economic development for de-centralized fiber and natural dye systems. Organizational goals include developing a working model for ‘soil-to-soil’ agriculture and manufacturing processes. Our work is designed to empower small and mid-scale farmers, designers and brands to engage in Climate Beneficial agricultural practices that bring regionally and regeneratively farmed textiles directly to the marketplace.

Contact Rebecca Burgess

Fibershed website

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