Lanado is :              

100% PURE BELGIAN WOOL                                                                                                 

A HIGH-END DUVET,

PRODUCT OF THE KNOW-HOW OF OUR REGIONS AND OUR COMPANIES.

 

Ø  Sheep breeders in our regions have taken care of their flocks so that they give the best wool. 

Ø  A wool merchant from Verviers  has chosen, sorted and harvested the wools best suited to the manufacture of a high-end, light and puffy duvet. 

Ø  A Verviers wool washhouse whose quality is recognized worldwide has taken care of its treatment. 

Ø  Wool evolves and adapts to current needs, it is  machine washable (30°C wool program) and treated against dust mites , it is also high-end Belgian in Temse

Ø  We have entrusted its production to a neighboring collaborator whose technology and know-how meet the highest quality requirements .

 

   A LOCAL & ETHICAL PROJECT

Wool production : sheep farmers in Belgium

Trading and coordination : DBCwool sa (Verviers)

Wool washing : Traitex (Verviers)

Washability of wool : Van Riel (Temse)

Manufacture of duvets : Neighboring country 

Marketing : LANADO (Stoumont)                

SLEEPING IN THE WOOL OF OUR SHEEP 

How it all began!

DBCwool has been established in Verviers under different names since 1938. Verviers, a former renowned international wool center.  Although greatly weakened, wool production is still very much present there.   Wool trader, i.e. a company that buys and resells wool… yes, but not only that!

First, because DBCWool does not buy just any wool: the company specializes in wool intended particularly for the high-end bedding sector. The wool purchased directly from breeders or collectors must therefore meet several criteria: the wool is selected for its crimp, its loft, its length as well as its cleanliness. Colored wool is also excluded. All this so that DBCwool customers can easily manufacture high-end products, uniform in color, without plant debris, lofty, flexible and comfortable such as duvets, pillows, mattress toppers, futons, etc. DBCWool also regularly buys wool sorted on a table, where the wool from the belly and thighs, which is yellower and dirtier, is discarded. The purchased grease wool is therefore selected according to its final destination and, for DBCWool, quality control at this stage is a priority because it is decisive for the quality of the finished product. 

Then, DBCWool is not a "simple" wool trader since it does not resell the wool purchased as is but well washed , by working precisely on a contract basis with its neighbor Traitex, the last existing European industrial wool washhouse! A wool washhouse recognized worldwide for the quality of its treatments. This local location allows DBCWool to remain in control of the washing process and to easily mix different batches of wool in grease to best meet the demand of its customers.

Other treatments can also be carried out at the customer's request. Wool evolves and adapts to current needs, it can be machine-washed (up to 30°C, wool program) and treated against dust mites, it is also high-end Belgian. This is the specialty of our collaborator Van Riel located in Temse. The only company capable of applying this treatment to wool in Europe.

DBCWool also respects wool, with the “Oeko-Tex 100” and “Woolmark” certifications for all its products. The first label, Oeko-Tex 100, guarantees, following analyses, a non-content of harmful materials (herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, etc.) for the human body. The second label, “Woolmark”, guarantees that the product is 100% pure virgin wool, without the addition of inferior materials. DBCwool also has, for some of its products, a GOTS Organic Textiles certification issued by ECOCERT.

In terms of figures, DBCWool sa is :

•       1000 tons of washed wool per year

•       Almost 100% suint wool from France, Germany and Europe.

 

DBCwool therefore involves the import of raw wool and the export of wool in the form of a semi-finished product. 

But what is happening here, in BELGIUM? 

 Since 2010, Dominique Blandiaux (one of the administrators of DBCwool) has been involved in the creation of a local wool industry

 

The situation of wool in our own country was very sad in 2010! Wool was relegated to the rank of waste by sheep farmers because it was not highly valued and not very profitable. It was also very often resold for convenience to an exporter who sends it as is to China… a net loss for our industry: loss of raw material, loss of the added value that would be provided by the local processing of all this wool. Wool producers in Belgium were completely disorganized, there was no real network or real market.  In addition, wool was forgotten by the consumer who no longer knew its benefits and who was unaware of the evolution of its treatments which make it a high-end product, soft, supple and easy to maintain. 

                                               

But this project was substantial since it had to be launched in the face of many unknowns: where to harvest the wool? How to ensure the quality of the obtained wool grease? How to organize the harvest? Who to turn to for the manufacture of the wool sheets that would constitute the stuffing of the duvet? Who to turn to for the manufacture of the duvets? The beautiful project of Filière laine en circuit court made it possible to take the plunge and realize this project.

This is the starting point of the adventure of the 100% pure Belgian wool duvet. 

RE-ORGANIZE A WOOL COLLECTION IN WALLONIA 

The basis of success! A mandatory step to obtain a high-end finished product, capable of dethroning the supremacy of feathers and down and restoring wool to its former glory. A long-term project set up and coordinated by Dominique Blandiaux thanks to the dynamic support and information and federation work of the FILIERE LAINE and the FICOW (Interprofessional Sheep and Goat Federation of Wallonia)  from as many breeders as possible (a few dozen in 2012).  Currently,  DBCwool  harvest  wool from more than 300 professional breeders, amateurs and shearers from the provinces of Luxembourg, Liège, Namur and Hainaut. A great demonstration of trust and seriousness. 

                             

For white wool, without excessive straw, hooves, droppings or moisture, the price paid is slightly higher than the market price. 

The different balls  wool are classified into 4 categories, explaining this choice to breeders:

Category A : White, fluffy and clean wool – wool used for the manufacture of the finished product and for which a bonus will be awarded.

Category B : white wool, bulky and not clean enough Category C : colored wool and wool, intended for insulation. 

Category D : white wool but so loaded with plants that it would have to be carbonized to make it usable (additional treatment during washing, to dissolve all the plant matter with acid). DBCwool will rather use it for insulation products to avoid this treatment.

 

Finally, at the end of 2012, the new project was born! The fruit of long-term work, of a long experience in the wool industry and, quite simply, of a desire to share a passion for natural fibers:

 

A DUVET &  HIGH-END BEDDING ITEMS made from 100% PURE WOOL from our sheep! 

 

These products are sold by LANADO, they can be found on the website www.lanado.be

 

The reception of this new project and these new products is excellent. The LANADO duvets in 100% PURE BELGIAN WOOL interest the media. They provide tremendous support for the launch of sales of these wool duvets. RADIO interviews, TV reports (RTBF news twice), articles in local newspapers, page in "psychologie magazine" etc. For a first year, sales are promising and allow us to produce a second batch of duvets, with matching pillows! Already a new product! Which allows our breeders, suppliers of quality A wool, to obtain a second bonus. 

                                             

At the request of consumers, points of sale are emerging. We can now satisfy both e-commerce customers and physical store customers. 

The adventure continues, the project is growing.  LANADO diversifies its products and expands its distribution network.