Success off the sheep’s back

LEROY Mac Designs is the only fully traceable, machine-knitted, machine-washable Australian made pure merino garments on the market.

That’s one huge statement but something Rebecca McErvale is extremely passionate and proud to say she and her husband have achieved!

Fourteen years ago, this Melbourne girl fell in love with a farmer, and was in awe of the dedication and work involved in running a 5000 head Merino sheep enterprise.

Not your typical famers wife, Rebecca wanted to value-add to their own wool, rather than handing rights overseas.

She became extremely frustrated that they could not find a single company to process their wool into yarn and then guarantee they got their wool back.

Once sold, most farmers have absolutely no idea where their wool ends up.

Eighty-seven per cent of Australia’s wool trade went to China last year. Currently, just five per cent of the nation’s wool clip is processed in Australia.

The last superwash facility that allows wool to be machine-washable left Australia 10 years ago.

Any machine washable, woollen garment sold in Australia, comes from wool that has been processed overseas. There is no getting around this.

People often buy what they are told is Australian merino but where was that wool sourced? Where was it grown and processed? It is near impossible to know without scientific testing, the wools true make-up!

Rebecca’s point of difference is the guarantee of DNA testing before and after manufacturing, that their products are pure merino only, that came off their land.

“We have our greasy wool made into superwash tops in Italy. It is returned, spun and dyed at Wangaratta Spinning Mills and our final products are knitted locally in Ballarat under the Australian Made campaign logos,” she said.

“In 12 years of business, there is still no other company doing what we do, with their own wool. It costs us substantially more that it does to purchase ‘Australian Merino’, but we are the only company that can take the consumer back to the exact paddock in which their garment was grown. That is something we are extremely proud of.”

Rebecca’s biggest sale driver is encouraging customers to “feel the difference.”

“We don’t have a shop front and by using our own wool, which is nearly double the cost of buying ‘Australian Wool’,” she said.

“We want to tell our story. We take our products to events all over Australia and are so invested in meeting and connecting with the consumer.

“There is nothing better than educating the general public on what we do and why! People are truly astounded by the difference in softness and quality and in our story.”

Rebecca’s determination has won Leroy Mac several accolades including the Ballarat Commerce 2018 Federation Business School Creative Industries Award.

She has won gold, silver and bronze for several categories in the My Child Excellence awards voted by the public over consecutive years.

Facebook chose her small business to be part of their 2019 Regional businesses gift guide and last year, Rebecca won silver in The Ausmumpreneur Regional Business Awards and the People’s choice Product award.

She won gold for Innovation and sustainability in the Australian Rural Business awards in 2022.

For more on Leroy Mac Designs, visit leroymac.com.au.