From Denmark to the North Island: Global wool brand visits Hunterville and Ruapehu farms

The owners of Danish footwear company glerups have travelled from their headquarters in

Denmark to the central North Island this month, visiting the farms where the wool used in their

products begins its journey.

The team spent time at Papanui in Hunterville, Timahanga Station, and Tawanui Station near

Raetihi, meeting farming families and seeing first-hand how ZQ-certified wool is grown and

managed.

While the wool ends up in products sold internationally, glerups emphasises that its relationship

with growers is central to its brand. For the Danish team travelling from the glerups headquarters,

the trip was about exploring the origins of their wool story.

“Our wool doesn’t start in a factory, it starts here, on incredible New Zealand farms like these,”

Jesper Glerup, son of founder Nanny Glerup, Director glerups , said. “Meeting the growers face-to-face

helps us understand the work, care and pride that goes into producing New Zealand wool.”

Angus Street, CEO of The New Zealand Merino Company, said the visit highlights the growing

importance of transparency and long-term partnerships in the wool sector.

“It’s easy to talk about supply chains from a distance, but when a company travels all the way from

Denmark to sit around a farm table in Hunterville or Raetihi, that says something,” Street said. “It

shows how much they value the relationship and the quality of the fibre being produced in New

Zealand.”

Street said the visit also comes at a time of renewed global demand for New Zealand’s food and

fibre sector exports.

“New Zealand’s meat and wool export revenue is forecast to grow to $13.2 billion this year,

showing the global demand for our products,” he said. “Strong, long-term partnerships between

growers and international brands are critical to maintaining that reputation.”

As global consumers increasingly ask where their products come from, farm-level engagement is

becoming more important across the natural fibre industry.

For the growers involved, the visit was also an opportunity to showcase North Island farming

systems and the standards behind New Zealand wool production.