Lauren and Alex started off with six sheep in an orchard in Salcombe, Devon, with neither of them imagining they would become farmers or creators of artisanal wool textiles.
With no farming background they took a leap of faith and started small. They loved it, growing their flock to 150 Devon Closewool and Herdwick sheep and establishing Salcombe Meat Company. The wool from their home-grown sheep is used to create luxury furnishings such as blankets, throws and rugs for the home – connecting the living tradition of British agriculture and textile excellence.
Lauren says: “The wool clip was worthless to us, so we decided to turn it into a useful product and so Farmer & Weaver was born. Our first Devon Closewool clip was taken to NFC and turned into a batch of rovings, and with their patience and help we learned what we needed to ask for and the second time the rovings continued into yarn, which became our first batch of blankets. We are now looking at working with NFC again for other products such as hats to be made from our own yarn. The team at NFC makes the process of taking fleece to the desired finished product an easy process”.
You can find out more on the website: farmerandweaver.com and follow on Instagram and Facebook: @farmerandweaversalcombe
The case study is available to download here: Farmer & Weaver Case Study