At MiniJumbuk we love wool. Wool is what makes our world go around. We live and breathe wool and can pretty much guarantee that all of our staff sleeps with wool at night too.
Sheep first came to Australia in 1796, when pioneer farmers John and Elizabeth Macarthur imported a flock of Spanish merino sheep to their pastoral property in western Sydney. Almost fifty years later, Australia was producing more than 2 million kilograms of wool a year. The Australian economy was 'riding on the sheep's back' as wool was so important to Australia's prosperity at the time.
Although the wool industry no longer has the economic importance that it once had, Australian wool is considered to be a high-quality luxury item, and Australia's wool farmers contribute more than $3 billon to Australia's economy.
Sheep breeds have evolved from a variety of environmental and genetic factors, with the soil and climate of Australia largely determining the type of sheep and wool quality produced.
Renowned for being exceptionally soft and fine, Merino wool is a unique fibre that's easy on the skin and on the planet. MiniJumbuk's Merino Soft and Baa Baa baby blankets are made using Merino wool.
For our other bedding products (Quilts, Mattress Toppers and Pillows) we use wool from crossbreeds related to Merino. This wool is more suited to bedding products because of the special properties that it has.
Wool fibres grow in tufts on the sheep's back and grow in crimps that have a distinct wave pattern. When these crimped fibres are combined, still air is trapped between these fibres, providing an effective insulating layer. This makes crossbreed wool perfect for bedding as it has an excellent crimp which helps to trap air and the crimp is able to retain its shape.
Fibre diameter and length are the main features which determine the quality and use of wool. Diameter is measured in microns, which are equal to one millionth of a metre and fibre length is always recorded in millimetres. In wool bedding we generally use 32 micron wool as it has the best crimp for maintaining its shape and providing the best insulation.
Through selective breeding for quality, Australian farmers continue to improve the excellence of their wool flocks. The breeding process is complex and difficult, requiring skills acquired over many years. The Australian wool industry invests heavily in research, development and education to help farmers identify the best animals to breed from.
Australian farmers are passionate about maintaining healthy sheep, both for the welfare of the animals and the quality of the wool they produce. The Australian industry leads the world in developing and implementing improvements in sheep welfare. Being an island helps keep a lot of diseases and pests out of Australia too, helping maintain a healthy, unique and natural ecosystem.
We are proud licensees of Woolmark and we love supporting Australian sheep farmers and we will always only use Australian wool in our products as we know it is the best. It is clean, natural and sustainable.