Thirty minutes from our Wānaka HQ, Merino sheep graze the same slopes we ski and ride and stare at longingly when we’re supposed to be working. Most of our Merino wool comes from the farms throughout this valley: a group we call the Mons Royale Growers Club. Here’s who they are, what their ZQ+ certification means, and how their Merino wool ends up all over your bod.
What is the Growers Club?
The Growers Club is our network of eight Merino farms, spread across the Southern Alps of New Zealand’s South Island. We source most of our wool from these farms, with some coming from Australia. And because our HQ is located just around the bend in Wānaka, we do our best to bring everyone together twice a year to talk all things Merino, and we attend the shearing annually. It’s one of the perks of being just down the road - we get to sit down for a cuppa with our growers, rather than just reading about them.
Where the farms are: eight stations across the South Island
In our Growers Club are eight Merino stations: Glenbourne Station in Canterbury, Mount White Station in Arthur’s Pass, Glenthorne Station in Lake Coleridge, Lake Ōhau Station just past the Ōhau ski fields, Simon’s Hill Station in the heart of the Mackenzie Basin, Buscot Station in the Omarama Basin, Black Forest Station on the shores of Lake Benmore, and Tuohys Gully in our very own Cardrona Valley.
We partner with these farms not just for the quality wool, grown in the same backyard we play in. We partner with these farms because we share the same values towards environmental sustainability, animal welfare, land care, and social responsibility. That's more important to us than almost anything else. We can trace all our wool right back to the farm it was grown - and the majority of those farms are right around the corner.
What ZQ and ZQ+ certification actually means
Wool makes up less than 1% of the world’s total fibre. Certified wool is less than 0.05%. That’s what makes our Merino wool so rare: all our wool is ZQ or RWS certified, with every farm independently audited for animal welfare and land care. Zentera, formerly The New Zealand Merino Company, is the company behind ZQ and ZQ+ (formerly ZQRX), the world’s leading marks for high-quality wool that’s grown with care for animals, land and people.
Certified ZQ wool from The Zentera Wool Company is sourced from independently audited farms meeting some of the world’s most demanding animal welfare, environmental and social standards. ZQ+ goes a step further, measuring on-farm results across soil health, carbon and biodiversity.
We’re fans because we give a sh*t about the animals and the land they roam on, but also because it ensures the quality of the fibre. Animal welfare, land stewardship and shearing practice directly shape the quality of the wool that goes into our materials.
Animal welfare and environmental care: what ZQ Certification covers
In short, all ZQ Certified wool is traceable back to the farms where it was grown. It ensures strict animal welfare requirements, ensuring sheep are healthy, well cared for, and are free to live naturally. It covers environmental stewardship, with growers committing to responsible land management that supports healthy soils, thriving ecosystems, and clean waterways.
It also looks at social responsibility, ensuring safe and fair conditions for the people growing the wool. And above all, it promises wool quality. All ZQ wool is meticulously grown, hand-classed and tested to ensure it meets the uncompromising quality, consistency, performance and comfort you expect from your products.
The ZQ Standard has been running since 2007, and much like our apparel, it doesn’t stand still. Version 6 of the ZQ Standard was updated in October 2026. According to Zentera, a key change is the introduction of auditable requirements specific to ZQ+. Alongside the existing standards for ZQ Certification, ZQ+ adds regenerative agriculture criteria and outcome measurement. These now auditable requirements mean regenerative practices can now be independently verified through third-party audits.
Why traceable wool matters, and why we publish our supply chain
All our wool is traceable back to the farm through ZQ Certification and/or the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certification and/or the Content Claim Standard. For us, transparency is a key part of keeping companies accountable. ‘Trust us’ isn’t really good enough anymore, and greenwashing just doesn’t quite do it. Publishing our supply chain means you can check where your gear comes from, make an informed call, and maybe even take another look at some of your other labels.
From farm to the kit you reach for daily: the full journey
Your Merino wool starts on the farm. Made for sheep living in harsh mountain conditions, it’s naturally temperature-regulating, moisture-wicking, and odour-resistant.
Once sheared from said sheep, it’s scoured, which is an industrial wash that removes grease, dirt and salts, and combed so the fibres line up. Next, Südwolle Group, which holds Bluesign® and Oeko-Tex® certification, spins it into yarn.
The yarn is knitted or woven into fabric, dyed, then cut, sewn and trimmed into garments with partners including Venitra and Challenge. A final round of finishing and checks comes before packing. Where possible, we ship by sea rather than air. It’s slower, but it significantly reduces emissions. Then it’s off to the store and into your kit.
Every step is on our transparency page, which we highly recommend for anyone that gives a sh*t where their gear comes from.
Read more about Nature’s Performance Fibre →
View our supply chain →
