A Galway-based store has set out a crowdfunding goal of €110,000 to acquire a wool mini mill to give more value to Irish farmers by processing their sheep's wool.

Katarina Hruskova opened 'Woolstore' back in 2024, a wool washing and processing business.

She is now looking to increase her capacity of her mill and start spinning wool into yarn.

With shearing season fast approaching, sheep farmers all around the island struggle in a loss-making exercise with wool.

A recent report by The Wool Partnership highlighted a lack of washing and small-scale processing facilities as one of the main bottlenecks for the development of wool.

Woolstore’s small but efficient operation has proven successful in washing, picking, and carding wool for local farmers and textile crafters.

Approximately 200kg of Galway wool processed by the business made it all the way to Texas last year, where it was spun at local mills and sold as a specialty yarn.

As the only mill in Ireland that accepts flexible batches of wool to be washed and carded, Hruskova’s business provides direct access to an opportunity that farmers and independent designers would not be able to access otherwise.

Commenting, Hruskova’s said: "I love seeing the look on farmers’ faces when they get their wool back after being processed, seeing the difference, and starting to understand the quality of what they actually have."

This passion has led Hruskova to pursue a new milestone for her business - increasing her scouring capacity and acquiring her own semi-worsted spinning machine.

Malú Colorín, co-founder of social enterprise Fibreshed Ireland said: “This mill is part of the solution to stop relying on imported wool, reduce Ireland’s textile carbon miles, and add value to our homegrown biofibre.”

Crowdfunding

You can find her crowdfunding on iDonate.ie, where Hruskova is looking to raise €110,000 for the woll mini mill.

Her iDonate says: "It is well known that in Ireland, shearing costs farmers more than what they get for their sheep's wool.

"Bit by bit, we are putting the value chain back together. The next challenge is increasing our mill's capacity and starting to spin wool into high-quality yarn."

The rest of the funds will be sought through LEADER funding.

Backers of the campaign can expect perks such as farm tours, processed fibre, discounts on services, and classes on wool processing and natural dyeing.