Value Chain Producer:
Great Lakes Natural Fibers, Inc.

GREAT LAKES NATURAL FIBERS, Inc.

email: greatlakesnaturalfibers@gmail.com
website: greatlakesnaturalfibers.org

OUR MISSION is to create innovative uses for wool and other animal and plant fibers that add value to products and benefit small-scale farmers and ranchers. ​

OUR VISION is for farms to use available natural resources, be profitable, and reduce their carbon footprint.

There were many common threads in our network with people interested in the opportunities that the problem of too much wool created. A couple of phone calls resulted in us all meeting at the Wayne County Public Library and brainstorming ideas. With a little help from the United states Department of Agriculture (USDA) we were able to legally establish our non-profit and will purchase a wool shredder, pelletizer, and large needle felting machine. This is the humble beginning of our project. The potential to grow and innovate is huge. While making wool pellets may not seem exciting, this project will do much good and change how we think about growing plants. Converting what is now wasted wool into a resource is one more step in creating a circular economy, keeping resources local, and supporting our farmers. A soil-to-soil cycle forms when sheep and other animals raised in pastures grow fibers that return the nourishment to the soil. This is exciting!