CALGARY – Joan Embleton loves angora rabbits.
As an accomplished spinner and weaver she combs hair from her 35 or so angoras to create beautiful yarn ranging in color from white to grey to honey gold.
As a rabbit breeder she soon learned the problem with these fuzzy creatures is that they keep producing fibre. If she doesn’t gather it they leave little nests of hair all over her house and barn.
Many llama, alpaca, angora rabbit and goat producers can sympathize.
“It’s the same problem with all the exotic fibres in that you have to take the fibre from the animals and then what do you do with it?”
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Opportunity knocks in Mexico
Based in Calgary, Embleton started researching the Canadian market and learned there was no one interested or capable of handling this kind of fibre beyond the cottage industry level. Following the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement she’s found an opportunity with the Mexican textile industry.
With federal and provincial government approval, she formed a co-operative to collect exotic animal fibre suitable for weaving and spinning. Her goal is to take the industry from the home spinner to an international level.
“What Mexico wants to do with NAFTA is start setting up an apparel industry (for North America) because they have the facilities now.”
Embleton says it could be a multimillion dollar opportunity if Canadian producers can maintain a steady supply. She wants to start shipments this year.
She recently returned from Canada Expo ’94, a trade mission sponsored by the departments of external affairs and trade.
“I’ve been working with the Mexican market on my own for the last year,” she said and this trade fair helped expand her contacts. She met with bankers, government representatives and people in the Mexican textile industry.
Mexico is too hot a country to raise angora rabbits or goats. But in Canada, the cooler climate combined with good diets and gentle care encourages the animals to grow excellent coats.
The Mexicans liked the quality of Canadian fibre she showed them but in order to sign a deal they want quantity. The Mexicans prefer to deal with a single broker and through her company, Norton Angora Exports Inc., Embleton is setting up contacts with organizations like the llama, alpaca, cashmere/mohair goat and angora rabbit associations to collect adequate amounts of raw fibre.
Working with Alberta Agriculture, a common grading system will be set up for quality control in Canada.
“It’s not quantity that gets prices in fibre and textiles, it’s quality.”
Grade A fibre will be used for fine clothing. Grade B will find its way into bedding, linings and socks. The lower grades can be felted.
Sample books for the Mexican buyers are also being compiled by Embleton and representatives of the other exotic animal associations. Along with fibre samples the books will provide descriptions of micron counts and crimping (the natural twist in the fibre).
Knows her product
As a spinner and knitter of all fibres, Embleton is confident that she has an understanding of how each type will work under different conditions.
Besides hand spinning and weaving, she’s tested fibres on automatic knitters comparable to what the Mexicans use in their mills. She’s also worked with blends and finds rabbit fibre combines well with almost anything, giving yarns a softer, more luxuriant texture.
“You have to be sure and communicate with them (Mexican buyers) that you know what this fibre is going to do,” she said.
The Mexicans want fibre that is washed free of manure, grain hulls, hay or other foreign material.
“If they like the fibre and if they want to do some buying, they’ll be looking at hundreds of kilo orders.”
She has 150 kilograms of rabbit and 100 kg of mohair from western Canada ready to go now. To put that into perspective, Embleton said one kilo of fibre fills a large plastic garbage bag. When she combs out her rabbits she gets about one ounce of hair at a time.
“So when I talk about hundreds of kilos, think of hundreds of garbage bags … we’re talking a lot of fibre,” she said.
Through the co-operative each animal association will collect fibre and keep records of who shipped what. As the broker, Norton Angora will pay the freight and handling costs as well as brokerage fees to Mexico. When Norton is paid, the associations can pay their suppliers.
To teach people how to collect and store fibre Embleton, the exotic animal associations and Alberta Agriculture will hold seminars for producers to detail export standards, fibre characteristics and grades.
