International visitors flock to Aussie wool mill

After establishing the business back in 2015 and reviving the dream of processing Western Victorian wool and alpaca into luxury yarns for the craft market, Great Ocean Road Woollen Mill has gone from strength to strength.

The accreditation highlights the work Owners, Isabel and Nick Renters have been doing in supporting and expanding the local textile industry.

"For us, it is about transparency, about keeping manufacturing in Australia and about being proud to create something out of the wonderful fibre that grows around us," Mr Renters said.

"Consumers are wanting to know more and more about the products they buy, we carry the Australian made logo licence as well, but this accreditation goes one step further and is really about investing in our country's future, our manufacturing future."

Mrs Renters said they were now supplying yarn to stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Germany as well as exporting yarn to New Zealand.

"They love Australian fibre, they love the green ethos we process in and they want to know that what they are buying is sustainable and ethical," Mrs Renters said.

Every aspect of production (except for the wool scouring) is done on site, in Australia's greenest mill, from some of the finest fibres Australia grows.

The accreditation also applies to the mill's new knitwear range 'Zauber' (German for magic).

"Last year we saw over 1000 visitors come to the mill to learn about the process, to see how we do things as well as to buy yarns and scarves," Mr Renters said.

"There is a real thirst for Australian made products, especially products that can show the whole journey, paddock to product.

"We even get people from overseas putting us on their itinerary! That's pretty special but it also shows the value of what we are trying to do, not only in terms of a business but also for a region, for the textile industry and for Aussie farmers."