Cashmere Goats

The cashmere used by Anise Cashmere comes originally from mountain-dwelling goats in Inner Mongolia, that have adapted to the harsh environments, and the freezing climates reaching sometimes -40c.

In these conditions, the Goats – to survive – develop wonderfully thick coats made up of a course outer guard hair, and a fine soft undercoat. This downy under-coat, that runs from the throat to the belly, and that has longer fibres owing to the harshness of the winter, makes the cashmere fibre stronger. This downy under-coat is painstakingly combed by the nomadic tribesmen to separate it from the more wiry outer hair. Whilst combing is still widely used today, it is now becoming increasingly common for the goats to be shorn, as opposed to being combed, where being deemed to be less painful to the goat.

Mongolian cashmere is regarded as one of the rarest and most precious fibres in the world, and it’s not hard to see why. Each goat produces around 200 to 250 grams of the downy fleece, just a fraction of the amount needed to make one Anise Cashmere Wrap.

Ethical Sourcing

The Mongolian Cashmere Goats are tended by nomadic cashmere farmers, and traditionally these farmers collect the cashmere fibre combing their goats in the spring, ensuring the goats remain fully protected during the harsh winter months.

Animal welfare, sustainability and traceability are the three pillars of the ethical sourcing of the cashmere, where sustainable herding, and grazing practices are used to the highest standards, striving always to protect this traditional way of life within the nomadic communities.

The Bureau of Animal Husbandry is a government organisation who send representatives to the various farms to educate the farmers on best practice for keeping goats and to monitor their health, and where necessary medicine will be provided free of charge.