Name of Product: Baby yak wool products
Product Type: Handicraft
MP Region: Central Asia
Country of origin: Mongolia
Name of the Mountain Area: Selenge Province, Mongolia
Altitude Range: Class 4: elevation 1 500-2 500 m and slope ≥ 2
Narrative label: This product made of baby yak wool was produced in the high mountains of the Arkhangai province, Mongolia, and is 100 percent ecologically pure. The wool comes from two-year-old yak calves, making it softer and warmer than other wools. It does not shrink or stretch when washed, maintains heat well and is hypoallergenic. The product provides better insulation than cashmere yet is still economically priced.

Territory and tradition
The Arkhangai province has an average altitude of 2 400 metres above sea level. It is dominated by the Khangai mountain range, which reaches heights of more than 4 000 metres. Yaks are indispensable animals here. They are used for transport, meat and milk as well as their warm wool. In comparison to other livestock breeds, yaks graze more sustainably because they rarely fall victim to predators, cause less trampling damage than sheep or goats, and fertilize the soil without harming plants’ roots.

Producers
Founded in 2010, the Ar Arvijin Delgerekh cooperative is a group of 88 semi-nomadic households (around 220 individuals, 122 of whom women). Primarily members of the Khalkh people, the herders follow nomadic traditions and only recently began to use the wool to produce high-value products for an additional source of income. Their yak wool products are a symbol of the Mongolian herders’ nomadic culture.

Processing
The wool is retrieved by hobbling standing yaks and combing them. This process is done in the spring, leaving ample time for the wool to grow back to protect the yaks from the harsh Mongolian winter. Herders supply raw baby yak wool to the cooperative’s workshop, where a group of women carefully knit, wash and iron it. A laboratory analysis performed by the cooperative guarantees no chemicals are used in the treatment of this high-quality wool.
Producer: Ar Arvijin Delgerekh cooperative
Contact person: Tsetgee Gavaa [email protected]
Labelled since: 17.10.2022
Label latest verification: 22.11.2021
Website: https://adra.org.mn/en/
Type of producer: Cooperative
Smallholder: yes
Size of company: > 50 people
Distribution channel: Local market, Retailer
Traditional product/production: Yes production and processing processes follow traditions of Mongolian nomadic culture. During centuries yak wool products supported herders during harsh winters.
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