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LA-based brand Janessa Leon\u00e9 is building out a regenerative wool supply working with ranchers in the … [+]<\/span> Pacific Northwest, include Shaniko Wool Company (pictured here).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>Shaniko Wool Company \/Janessa Leon\u00e9 <\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Janessa Leone started her business<\/a> with $10,000. The brand now pulls in more than eight figures, she says (aka, more than $10 million). It\u2019s still self-funded, and it’s more mission-driven than ever before.<\/p>\n The California native first discovered the beauty of handcrafted hats on a visit to Paris. She wanted to bring that quality craftsmanship to a category that had been ignored. In 2013, she launched primarily with hats, and a few leather accessories. But in the last 10 years, she\u2019s been building a brand squarely focused on regeneration. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy. This is not the typical way to do business. But I can\u2019t imagine doing it any other way,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Founder Janessa Leone<\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>Janessa Leon\u00e9 <\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Leone, who grew up in southern California, spent years battling chronic health issues. The healthcare system, she says, was good at two things: sustaining health and emergency health, but not restoring health. \u201cThe body is a well-designed machine that can heal itself if given the right nutrients.\u201d<\/p>\n So to help herself heal, she turned to food and nature. By eating more nutrient-dense foods, she discovered regenerative agriculture. \u201cThe way food is grown does impact the nutrients in it. The richer the soils, the more nutritious that piece of fruit or that vegetable is going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Thus, building a regenerative-minded brand came through an unusual route. \u201cI\u2019d been an animal lover. I was keen on nutrient-dense foods. And I was interested in slow fashion. All the roads pointed me to regenerative agriculture. It\u2019s a slower way of doing things, for sure. But just like I could heal my body, the land could be healed as well, and give back more in dividends.\u201d<\/p>\n With the guidance and support of Rachel Cantu, who was VP of Supply Chain at Patagonia for 5 years, Leone set out to build a supply chain from scratch for all the materials used in products. And she added one more key item to her lineup: wool sweaters made from regenerative wool that\u2019s grown, sourced, and turned into yarn entirely in the US.<\/p>\n They connected with Jeanne Carver of Shaniko Wool Company<\/a> in Oregon. Carver had been working with ranchers like herself to create a ranch group, practicing regenerative agriculture. To qualify to be a part of the ranch group, a farm had to show they were already incorporating regenerative practices (no to low tillage, rotational grazing, managing pastures, and more). Plus, they\u2019d have to be part of the Responsible Wool Standard.<\/p>\n