Our story begins with Maria Benjamin, John Atkinson, and Zoe Fletcher, who share a deep passion for British wool and a vision to revitalise the industry by paying Lake District farmers a better price.
OUR STORY
The Beginning
Maria and John, based near Coniston Water in the Lake District, started their entrepreneurial journey in 2015, with Maria's artistic flair driving the farm's diversification.
John, a sixth-generation Cumbrian farmer, is a dedicated conservationist and advocate for rare breed preservation. His family's roots in farming extend back 600 years in the area.
As they introduced rare breed sheep onto their farm, they discovered the untapped potential of British wool. Inspired by the desire to address the low prices farmers received for their wool, Maria and John joined forces with Zoe, a knitwear design expert passionate about promoting British wool within the fashion industry
OUR STORY
The Wool Library
Their collaboration led to the inception of The Wool Library, where they promote the unique characteristics of British wool breeds and champion a transparent supply chain.
By bridging the gap between farmers, designers, and consumers, they aim to restore pride in British wool and empower farmers to realise the full value of their wool products. Through education and collaboration, The Wool Library strives to create a sustainable future for the UK's sheep farmers and their breeds.
By showcasing the story behind each wool product and fostering meaningful connections along the supply chain, they are reshaping the narrative of British wool, one stitch at a time.
Our Values
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Stewardship
Our commitment to stewardship involves working with scientists and farmers to continually improve the quality of raw materials. We also build connections across farms to share regenerative practices and provide scientific tools to measure ecological outcomes.
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Commitment to Quality
We create heirloom products that are built to last, understanding the technical aspects of the 72 varieties of British wool.
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Collaboration Supports Progress
We believe in the power of collaboration, empowering diverse voices to effect change. We prioritise building long-term relationships across clusters that share landscapes.
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Farmer-Centered Design
With farmers at the core, we advocate for products designed with their needs in mind, leveraging the diversity of each breed's unique story and material potential.
Our Goals
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Increasing the price that farmers are typically paid for their wool to help support their farming ambitions
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Respecting and promoting the unique characteristics and integrity of British wool through the production of beautiful wool products
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Building long-term relationships with stakeholders in the wool system to foster a shared understanding of the capabilities of British wool
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Working with a regenerative mindset to leverage a healthy and sustainable business that values and cares for our supply network from the soil to our customers.
Our Founders
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Maria Benjamin
Maria runs multiple ethical businesses utilising farm commodities and skills gathered from her and her partners' farm in the Lake District.
This includes The Soap Dairy, which utilizes their Jersey Cow Honeysuckle's milk, Lake District Tweed, bringing provenance-based textiles back to the Lake District using wool sourced from within the different districts, and off-grid accommodation development within their carefully farmed land. Maria is a strong advocate for regenerative farming & regenerative and creative farm diversification and who also serves as a trustee of Lakeland Arts.
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Dr. Zoe Fletcher
Zoe has a background in knitwear design and academic research focusing on knit
experimentation using natural fibres.After completing a PhD focusing on British sheep breed fleece characteristics for knitwear design, including creating a comparable database for designers to utilize more breed-specific and traceable British wool, she wanted to highlight the positive potential of connecting regenerative farmers with trusted and traceable fiber chains.
Designing for breed enables a more conscious and functional approach to working with distinguishable material to suit complex end needs.
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John Atkinson
John Atkinson has spent 40 years as an upland farmer, with 25 years of experience working for the National Trust in department and project management roles. He is currently Chair of RBST (Rare Breed Survival Trust) and a prominent member of the North Country Cheviot Sheep Breed Society, Whitebred Shorthorn Society, and Federation of Cumbria Commoners. With his partner Maria Benjamin, John farms 450 acres in the Lake District, raising rare and native breeds of cattle and sheep. The farm has explored different markets for its produce and developed new products and income streams to add value.
