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Social Cooperative "Lebenswertes Ulten":

The social cooperative “Lebenswertes Ulten” was founded in 2011 by a group of committed women in the Ultental Valley. Their aim was to refine the valuable local resource of sheep’s wool and give it the recognition it deserves.

For many years, almost all of the sheep’s wool produced in the Ultental Valley was discarded. This changed when the idea emerged to transform this precious natural fibre into high-quality felt products. This led to the creation of the “Bergauf” wool manufactory at Schmiedhof in St. Walburg, which also serves as a shop. Here, the wool of Ultental mountain sheep is felted and processed into high-quality products for health and well-being, including clothing, slippers, mattresses, bags and many other beautiful and practical items for the wellness and living areas. The cooperative creates new employment opportunities in the Ultental Valley and helps counteract increasing depopulation.

The committed co-founder and president of “Lebenswertes Ulten”, Waltraud Trafoier-Schwienbacher, had already made it her mission around two decades ago to teach traditional South Tyrolean craftsmanship at the Winterschule Ulten, which she founded. Her belief that nature represents the purest form of intelligence and the greatest school from which we can learn is also reflected in the holistic and natural processing of wool from the raw material to the finished product. Synthetic materials are consistently avoided, while natural dyes made from leaves and flowers are used instead. Production takes place almost entirely in the Ultental Valley, creating regional cycles and avoiding long transport routes.

For this cooperative, profit is therefore not the primary focus. Instead, ecological and human values are at the centre of its work. These include the employment of mainly women in part-time positions as well as people with disabilities. Today, Wolfgang Raffeiner manages the wool manufactory, supported by a dedicated team of five women.

The funded project

The initial development of “Bergauf” was challenging, as the cooperative was built up through the voluntary work of its members. Thanks to the Ethical Banking development loan, the purchase of a wet felting machine to improve product quality, as well as the set-up of the sales area, could be financed at favourable conditions. “We are very grateful to Ethical Banking for this support,” emphasises president Wolfgang Raffeiner.
 
 

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