Hi, I’m Sherri the founder and owner of Aussie Wool Pellets and WoolGrow Australia. I’ve grown up in South West Victoria on the gorgeous Hopkins River in an area called Ellerslie. I’m a 5th generation farmer and have also been a wool classer for 15 years and now I am also an agriculture and wool classing trainer at our local TAFE. My parent, Carla and Neville, and my brother TJ are massive supports and have the same passion for value adding to something we can no longer sell but we produce every year.
Growing up on the farm, rearing numerous lambs in the back yard as well as studying agriculture during and after high school, I always knew that I wanted to be able to have some sort of impact on the farm as well as the wider community. My career has taken me to the snow of Tasmania, way out into the back of Bourke, up around the Murray River, out into the red dirt North of Iron Knob in SA, many wool sheds around Western Victoria. I have met incredible farmers and growers as well as seen a vast array of gorgeous properties and different landscapes.
Over my 15 years as a full-time wool classer I have seen a decrease in the saleable value for broad cross bred wool. So, in 2021 I started researching what else could be done with the wool, and that’s where I discovered that people around the world were using it as wool pellets and harnessing the amazing natural properties that wool has. From there I made the decision to put all my lifesavings into purchasing a pellet mill and starting Aussie Wool Pellets.
The machines arrived in December of 2022 and while life didn’t allow production straight away, it was a step in the right direction. Early in 2023 I applied to be apart of the Ideas Place Ignite program and was accepted into the program. It is a program that is designed to assist new start up ideas and teach them all that they need to know to be successful in building and starting their new business. It was an incredible opportunity that then lead into the Ideas Place Bootcamp. The bootcamp gave the participants assistance in helping guide them on how to pitch their ideas to potential investors and prepare a select few to being apart of the Pitch Night. Eight of us were then selected to pitch and from that I came out as the selected winner from the judges. It was an exciting and incredibly wonderful night that saw all the people I had gone through all the programs with absolutely shine and share their incredible business ideas.
I decided after winning the Ideas Place Pitch Night to enter my wool pellets in the Innovations Competition at Sheepvention 2023 in Hamilton. From that competition I came away as the winner of the Home and Garden section and was absolutely surprised to come away with the James Nagorka Encouragement Award also. It was an incredible opportunity for me to showcase the wool pellets to farmers and growers and the general public.
Now we are finally getting the chance to get our products out to the community! We are planning on attending a number of local farmers markets, so stay tunned to our socials and the website. We are also looking at doing some local drop off points for people to come and pick up their purchased pellets from the website. Can not wait to meet everyone and see what amazing produce and flowers and plants are grown with assistance of our products! If you see us at a market come and say hello, we love talking all things wool, regenerative farming, agriculture and horticulture.
Sherri Symons
