If you get your hands on a 1 US dollar bill and wonder why the feeling is so special, it may not only have to do with the iconic nature of the dollar, but also with the flax it contains. Flax has been supplied to the US by the Belgian Vervaeke Fiber for many years.
Vervaeke Fiber in Kuurne is the world's oldest flax company. The great-grandfather of current director Antoine Vervaeke founded it in 1892. Since the early 1960s, the company has been supplying the United States with flax that is used in the famous 1 dollar bills.
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| Picture by Pixabay |
"In the early 1960s there was a demand from the US to supply flax, specifically for use in dollar bills", Antoine Vervaeke explains why. "A dollar bill consists of 25 percent flax, the other 75 percent cotton. Flax is supposed to make the bill stronger. In the past, old rags were used that were torn up."
The "feel" of a euro bill, which consists of 100 percent cotton, and a dollar bill is noticeably different, says Vervaeke. "When a dollar bill is a few days old, changed hands a few times, it almost feels like silk. It's really nice, much more pleasant than a euro bill. Because of that flax, the Belgian flax".
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