A sheep farmer in Co. Galway, who has repurposed wool to make hypo-allergenic pillows, believes that sleep is one of the most important factors to well-being.
Michael Burke, from Dunblaney, Dunmore, Co. Galway runs an organic sheep, beef and tillage enterprise as well as a pillow manufacturing business.
He established Woolow in 2020, having worked in the healthcare sector for a good portion of his career and has seen the company go from strength to strength in the past three years.
“Back in 2015, I finished up in the healthcare sector and I came back to the farm and developed an organic farming unit here with a suckler herd and a breeding flock of sheep,” Michael told Agriland.
“I also grow organic oats and send it to Flahavan’s in Waterford.” Michael will be growing about 100ac of organic oats this year. He keeps about 123 breeding sheep and 23 sucklers.
Organics
According to Michael, the four pillars of healthy living are: Movement; diet; sleep; and well-being.
“Diet is an important aspect and if you look at any shopping basket at the moment, 85% of the food in that shopping basket is processed food,” he said.
“I was intrigued by the whole area of producing wholesome food with less chemicals, and I actually enjoy that whole area of farming where you’re producing quality foods at a reasonable price and it’s also more profitable because there is support there with the organic grants.
“But also you get a 15% premium for your lamb and your beef as well. And for organic oats, there is a premium of maybe 75%, over and above commercial, so it’s a little bit more profitable than commercial farming.”
Michael explained that he keeps his animals out longer over the winter to be more environmentally friendly and because he grows cereals, he said this allows him to grow catch crops over the winter, and his animals can then eat those crops, allowing them to be out for longer.
“Also, we’d grow a lot of multi-species here on the farm, so there is a diverse range of grass, which means that I don’t need to use chemical fertiliser to produce the grass,” he continued.
“Particularly with the cost of fertilisers at the moment, it’s a cost-effective way of producing grass.”
Woolow
Michael explained that growing up, they always had sheep on the farm and has fond memories of shearing the sheep and felt that the wool was never really utilised.
“Over the last 50 years or so, synthetics have replaced all of the uses for wool,” he continued.
“We are becoming more conscious now of the consequences of using synthetic products for our everyday use… it has a huge carbon footprint.
“Also, because of the chemicals that are used in processing products, it has a detrimental effect on our health as well.”
Michael explained that due to his background in healthcare, he was always acutely aware of the issues that were associated with poor sleep.
“I always felt that sleeping on a natural fibre [was better], because we spend a third of our lives sleeping, airways close to the pillow,” he added.
“I felt that the benefit of sleeping on a wool product with only two ingredients – wool and cotton – could have a positive impact on our sleep, and on how we perform throughout the day.”
The wool from his own sheep always went to the co-op and ultimately ended up in Bradford in the UK, where it was processed and subsequently exported around the world, predominantly to China.
“I suppose people are becoming more aware, with the price of oil, the benefit of wool. If you wear a wool garment, it will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer,” Michael explained.
Michael got started on his journey of developing wool pillows by participating in start-up mentoring programmes such as New Frontiers and Lean Launch, with Galway Local Enterprise Office (LEO).
“One of the things I found when I moved back into agriculture, it’s quite a lonely existence. When you work on your own on a farm, you have to provide everything yourself,” he said.
He cites the connections he made and people he met through the mentoring programmes as being very useful to him when starting a business of his own.
Galway Breed wool
Woolow has an association with the Galway Breed and prides itself on sourcing local where possible.
“Our flagship product was and still is our natural and lavender-infused wool pillows. But we also developed a range of pillow and room mist sprays,” Michael continued.
“The Galway Wool Co-op, we got involved with last year; we bought 50% of the wool in conjunction with Donegal Yarn.
“They had a Meitheal back in July of last year in Athenry, where all the farmers from around the country brought their wool from their organic Galway Breed,” he explained.
Farmers were paid €2.50/kg for the wool, which was a significant improvement on the 30c/kg which was the going rate for some time.
Woolow is now in the process of processing this wool to convert it into wool throws and blankets which Michael said he hopes to have on the market in the next three months.
He said they are consulting with yarn mills in Donegal regarding the processing of the wool and Woolow is also part of a European social enterprise project with Galway LEO, which Michael hopes will result in some of the wool also bring processed through it.
The sustainable cycle of the wool from farm to pillow is something Michael feels passionately about.
“Everything about Woolow connects back and there is full traceability there to the farm. Our products are natural, they’re home-grown and manufactured here in this country and chemical-free,” Michael said.
Challenges and outlook for the wool business
The domestic market is the biggest market for Woolow products, and the company also does some business in Northern Ireland with the hospitality trade.
“30% of adults suffer from poor sleep. We require 7-9 hours sleep in order to live well and it’s key that we can achieve that through products and information.
“For kids and adolescents, 66% are sleep-deprived and I believe that’s an area for significant development. We’re working in that space at the moment.”
Michael explained that a sleep routine is massively beneficial for children in order to nurture a good sleep pattern.
In terms of running a thriving business alongside a farm enterprise, Michael said: “For me, it ties in nicely, it works well with the farm. I don’t have to dedicate all my time to it [Woolow], it runs in conjunction with the farm.
“I don’t have to travel to the office so I can keep the farm operating here at the moment.
“In terms of challenges – costs. Costs are always going up. Particularly, we provide free shipping and that’s always a challenge and a 50-night money back guarantee on our products. Now, we don’t get returns, but we find that the shipping is always going up.
“We actually haven’t increased the price of our products in the intervening years and it’s important that we feel we provide a product that’s affordable,” he said.
Michael said what keeps him driven and motivated is if customers who use Woolow products get a benefit in terms of their quality of life.
“That’s enough for me to remain in the business and keep it going,” he concluded.