Gwynedd MP Liz Saville Roberts celebrated National Wool Month with a visit to the Baavet’s factory in Porthmadog.

Some people may have never heard of a Baavet while others are full of praise and have owned one for many years.

Roger Payne, who founded Baavet 17 years ago with his wife Lesley said: “Wool prices had hit rock bottom, and we needed to do something with our wool.

“But Lesley said, you can’t stuff wool in a duvet, and even if you could people wouldn’t buy them as they sound heavy, itchy and old fashioned, so even if you could make one you would need to call it something else, she jokingly said, so instead of a wool duvet, let’s call it a Baa...vet; and that was it.”

It took months of hard work to make the first wool duvet production line in the UK. “When we started we had neither the skills nor the machinery to do it all here in Wales and for sometime part of the operation had to be done in Yorkshire, home to the woollen industry, with us only doing the finishing work at that time in our industrial unit in Harlech,” Roger added.

“But as we became more successful we outgrew one unit and went to three and eventually, with the help of a Welsh Government grant, we were able to buy all the necessary machinery to set up a small factory here in Porthmadog where we now complete the whole operation.”

They buy wool directly from local farmers, paying them a premium price for it.

“But before we have a rush of farmers trying to sell us their wool, we need a certain quality of like Lleyn and Texel,” Roger added.

The wool has to be graded before use, so it goes to the British Wool depot in Newtown. Once graded, it is sent to Dewsbury to be washed.

The company pays for about 40 tons of wool a year, straight from the sheep. When washed they can lose 30-40 per cent of the weight, depending on the year.

The factory’s carding machine and quilting machines are over two metres wide and posed the problem of finding premises big enough to accommodate them.

“We were lucky to purchase the property, formally owned by Piano Cymru, next to Tesco in Porthmadog, which incidentally, was originally a furniture factory owned by the Quaeks family.”

As well as duvets, they produce wool pillows, mattresses and pet beds. When asked why someone would want a wool duvet, Roger said: “They are the best. Of course I would say that wouldn’t I, but it’s true. Bangor University’s Textile Department has just completed a yearlong study of duvet fillings, and wool has come out on top, far superior to polyester, feather or duck down. Wool regulates your temperature in bed, wicks away moisture, dust mites hate it and bacteria can’t survive in it, giving you the best night’s sleep ever, and a good night’s sleep leads to better health.”