Atlanta, GA, August 21, 2006--Every ball fired back and forth by the world’s elite tennis players in this year’s U.S. Open will carry a piece of rural New Zealand.
Wool from the sheep on Philip and Anne Munro’s farm near Fairlie in South Canterbury is being exclusively used in the making of the balls for the Open, held in New York from August 28 to September 10. The opportunity arose after the Munro’s hosted a group of foreign businessmen on their farm (Wairewa Station) last year. It turned out that the guests were from global companies, Tex Tech and Wilson, which produce 3 billion tennis balls a year.
Impressed by the superior color, bulk and cleanliness of Munro’s wool, the foreign executives returned with an offer to buy about 280 bales of New Zealand wool a month, for 12 months. The wool from Wairewa Station was kept completely separate from the rest of the buyer’s inventory so it could be used exclusively in the making of the U.S. Open balls. As a commercial advertising venture, Tex Tech branded every ball with the Wairewa Station logo.
“We have been quite overwhelmed by the whole experience,” says Philip Munro.” This is a significant arrangement, not only for our farm, but for the entire New Zealand wool industry. This type of direct relationship benefits everyone involved because it secures business while ensuring the consistency of supply needed to make high-quality products.”
