Icebreaker - Pure Merino

Last week, over three nights, Anne and Philip Todhunter from Lake Heron Station were very generous hosts to three separate groups from Icebreaker stores around NZ.  They introduced us to their amazing property that sits in a wide, once glaciated valley inland from South Canterbury, and gave a snapshot of their lives and a much deeper understanding of the start point of the Icebreaker we were all wearing.

We struck it lucky with the weather, clear, calm and COLD!!  The fringes of Lake Heron were frozen over, as was the smaller lake behind their beautiful house.  This cold weather served to somehow amplify the beauty of where we were, and clearly illustrated how valuable our Icebreaker layering system can be.

Each of the three groups was treated to a tour of their 100 year old woolshed, gaining insights about when and how the fleece leaves the Merino and enters the Icebreaker supply chain.  Lake Heron is one of a dwindling number of stations that still blade shears most of its flock.  The blade shears are essentially a large, hyper-sharp pair of scissors that the shearers work over the sheep by hand - hard work indeed!

After seeing the woolshed we walked up a back track to a point where the expanse of Lake Heron Station was easily seen.  Philip explained where the Summer and Winter country are - along the 40km of valley that is the backbone, and main “highway” for the property - and how the flock of 10,000 Merino are moved with the flow of the seasons to maintain quality feed and keep them off the higher country, away from the worst snows of Winter.  Speaking of snow, this place is home to some incredible heli-skiing - Philips “other” job being the lead Pilot for Methven Heli Ski…

Evenings were spent enjoying the families beautiful home, Anne’s amazing cooking, and on one night a 9pm football match “curtain raiser” to the All Whites first match at the World Cup, played at  brisk -5oC.  Of course there were some other very real shenanigans - but we won’t go into that here!

Every group left with a feeling of awe, and very real respect for the people and places that we draw both inspiration and the raw material for Icebreaker from.

If you want to know more about Lake Heron Station, and the Todhunters themselves, please visit www.lakeheron.co.nz and discover more about where we were.  A huge thanks again to yet another high country family for opening their home and lives to us.

Jem Culpitt - Sales Manager, Icebreaker New Zealand

One of the best things about Icebreaker is our relationships with our merino wool growers.  Last weekend I was lucky enough to get invited to spend  some time at Cluden Station with Anna (our New Zealand Corporate Account Manager) and her partner Sam.  We started off by having dinner with some farmers from a neighbouring station.  Incredible company, a  great roast meal and some wine made for a fun night.

Although it rained the entire time I was there, when we made it up to the high country (via a very bumpy and exciting ride in a ute), I saw one of the most incredible sights ever.  It was snowing all around me and when I looked down the mountain it was completely green.  For many people who live near or experience the mountains on a regular basis, this may not be a big deal, but for a “townie” like me it was pretty special.

Lucky for me my IcebreakerGT Base Layer 200 Crew paired with a Superfine LS Hood and topped off with Real Fleece kept me toasty warm in the snow at the top of the mountain.  Sam was kind enough to stop the ute a few times so I could take photos.  I was totally a tourist and very much appreciated the patience of my hosts.

In the high country, the merino sheep were a bit difficult to spot, but thanks to some very skilled and lovable dogs, I was able to see two merino running down the mountain.  It was awesome to see the source of the merino that was keeping me warm in all that snow.

Overall it was a great trip where I learned heaps about what life in the country is like here in New Zealand, and  I was lucky enough to experience some spectacular scenery and hospitality.

- Swave Szymczyk, Global In-Store Marketing Manager

Last week the Icebreaker New Zealand team took 40 staff from stores around NZ to Muller Station in Marlborough - 2 groups over 2 nights.  It’s got to be one of the most isolated spots in the country, and easily one of the most serene and stunning because of it.    From Blenheim it’s a 2 ¼ hr drive inland, up the Awatere valley - which our bus driver Ryan told us would be the second largest area of concentrated grapes in the country if it wasn’t defined as being part of Marlborough…

After those 2 hours or so of twisting, turning and gaining almost 900m altitude on the drive, we arrived dusty and tired to Muller Station.  Steve and Mary Satterthwaite and their family hosted us in a most SUPERB fashion…I’m sure we all ate 4 x more than we needed to while we were there, somehow Mary manages to be actively involved in every facet of the station, and be an incredible cook!

Once we were fed and watered it was time to pile onto the back of a huge UniMog 4×4 truck and get some sense of scale to the place.  Well - after a 15 min drive up to a high knoll in the snow, the views were simply awe inspiring, as was the cold!  Steve talked about the station - the size, distances and number of Merino they run (14,000!!), the challenges they face on a daily and seasonal basis, as well as the continued work and effort they put into their stewardship of the land, all 97,000 acres of it.

We met one of his superstar Rams - Maximiser! - and heard about the breeding and selection required to get the best and most hardy Merino, that produce the best fleece for Icebreakers contracts.

Following this (when the sun dipped below the ridge, and the temperature dipped to about -8 degrees C) we were back on the truck bouncing our way back to the station.  Mary showed us around the workings of a Woolshed, describing the roles of the various people who make their livelihoods there.  Woolsheds are simply incredible to see in full action in the spring - and if you ever get the chance to see one going at full steam ahead, you’ll know what I mean.

Back at the homestead for dinner, drinks and the usual IB shenanigans later on - and before we knew it, it was morning again.  Some weary and bleary eyes told the story of the night before…and after some great group discussions it was back down the valley for the first group - and up the valley for the second…   Lisa Thompson (NZ Market General Manager) and I got to do it all over again, and by Wednesday morning we really didn’t want to leave.

Station visits have always been a really effective way for people who sell Icebreaker to get a very real and meaningful connection to the places that are start of the process.  They build their own stories and sense of wonder about the Merino and the Mountains, and the people who run the stations that supply Icebreaker.   Every time I go to a station, I leave with an almost poetic sense of being involved in something that harks back to a true sense of our Kiwi heritage, something unique and yet totally cutting edge, these visits always feels special.

So we’re looking forward to the next Station Visit - who knows exactly where or when they’ll be!

Jem Culpitt - NZ Sales Manager

Earlier this week a team of Icebreaker staff from our Wellington Head Office went down to Christchurch to attend the NZ Merino conference.  Jeremy spoke about Icebreaker and we put this video together for our merino growers so they had an insight into what life is like at the Wellington IB office.

A few weeks ago a group of growers who supply merino to Icebreaker went on a trip to China. The group, which included growers from Bluff Station, Omarama Station, Branch Creek Station, and Motatapu Station, were able to see exactly what happens to their wool once it leaves the farm. They followed the entire supply chain and experienced firsthand the amount of processing required to turn a sheep’s fleece into a pure merino Icebreaker garment.

Here are a couple of comments from them:

“For me the introduction to the Icebreaker team in Wellington set the tone for the trip - the passion about their product displayed by all staff certainly impressed me from the outset.

After seeing the processing and manufacturing elements of the operation I now appreciate the Icebreaker vision as a truly holistic approach to developing a product of the highest quality, requiring meaningful commitment by all participants involved, with the highest standards of environmental and social values.

A visit to the Chinese processing factories contracted to Icebreaker discounts any misconception of sweat shops exploiting cheap labour and pouring pollution into the environment. To the contrary, conditions for the work force are extremely good and waste control protocols are stringent. From the scouring of the wool until the production of the packaged garment the product is barcoded and subjected to numerous quality checks, this enables management to quickly identify where any fault has occurred and take action very quickly.

The hospitality shown by the manufacturing plants and their willingness to give us such a comprehensive insight into their activities was far and beyond expectation.

On behalf of the group I thank NZ Merino and Icebreaker for the opportunity to to get a better understanding of what Icebreaker is about”

- Russell Hamilton, Motatapu Station

“The whole trip was fantastic and such an eye opener to see fantastic Icebreaker product being made from the beginning to the end. It was very exciting for us to see some Bluff hogget wool being tipped into the scour when we arrived and then to follow the whole Supply Chain and see all the processing and quality checking. It was beyond our expectations, in fact it was mind blowing.

The thing that struck me was that everyone in the supply chain seemed equally as proud of the product as the other.

The quality checking at every step of the way is amazing and shows us all why we have such a superior product at the end. Well done to all of you.

Being a small group meant we got to know each other very well and we had an enormous amount of fun together. A lot of laughs, interesting restaurants in dark alley ways eating anything and everything, a good court session each day on the bus so we could enjoy a decent nightcap, plenty of history, culture, enough shopping and fantastic tour leaders and companions Mike, Pete and Viv.

Thank you for the wonderful opportunity. It was not to be missed”

- Sue Murray, Bluff Station

View videos on our supply chain here.

The winner of our ‘Where on earth is Fred’ competition has been found!  Thanks to all of you that entered, we know it was a pretty tough one, but most of you got the location of our Spring/Summer 10 photoshoot correct - it was Australia (good on ya mate).

We had a group of our merino growers visiting from the Southern Alps today, and Emma Subtil from Omarama Station was able to make the draw for us which was pretty exciting.

Congratulations to Penny Tennant who gets a new Icebreaker top.  Watch this space for more competitions to come.