Friday, May 13, 2022 CapitalPress.com 9 Pendleton Woolen Mills adapts to changing times, markets By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN Capital Press PENDLETON, Ore. — Machines rumbled and roared. Looms inter- laced colorful yarns at right angles to form cloth. People scurried by, pushing tubs of spools. Here at Pendleton Woolen Mills, the same family has run the busi- ness since 1909. More than 100 years later, Pendleton’s brand remains popular, with an online store and 35 retail locations. The mill buys wool from about 170 sheep farms. The operation’s endur- ing success, industry experts say, is tied to its adaptability. The Bishop family, which has run Pendleton Woolen Mills for generations, has adapted to shifting wool produc- tion and changing global markets. Some of the company’s earliest designs, includ- ing blankets inspired by Native American culture, remain best sellers. But other aspects of the indus- John Boston, manager of Pendleton Woolen Mills’ Pendleton mill. try have changed over the century. The introduction of man- made fi bers in the 1880s shrank wool’s share of the textile market, especially after polyester was invented in 1941. Americans ditched the itch of prickly wool for softer synthetic fi bers. According to a 2019 Textile Exchange report, sheep wool makes up 1% of global textile fi bers. By comparison, polyester con- stitutes 52% and cotton 24%. Specifi c products have also changed. According to a 2021 study in Animal Frontiers, a scientifi c jour- nal, apparel wool used to be popular as outer knitwear or woven suits, but as the Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press American workforce has become more casual, peo- A loom weaves or interlaces yarns at right angles to form cloth: in this case, a blanket ple have bought fewer suits. designed by Pendleton Woolen Mills. New opportunities, how- ever, have opened, includ- wool buying department. Livestock, Krebs Sheep the right kind of land. Ram- ing growing markets for Additionally, the pan- Co., Cunningham Sheep bouillets are built for arid, next-to-skin knitwear and demic shifted consumer Co., Etcheverry Sheep rocky ranges. “athleisure” wear made demands. Though consum- Co., Wixom Livestock, “You pretty much have with fi ne, small-micron ers have bought less work Noh Livestock, Five O to have sheep that fi t your wool. attire, Pendleton has seen Ranch and Ian Anderson land,” said Gutzman. Although Pendleton uses demand spike for home Livestock. Bishop, the company coarser wool to create blan- goods including blankets, Although the mill works president, said Pendleton kets and rugs, the company rugs and décor and has piv- with ranches at any scale — will continue supporting uses fi ner wool for next-to- oted to meet that demand. buying a few fl eeces or buy- sheep farmers and adapting skin clothing. “COVID was good for ing them by the truckloads to the times. New international mar- the home business,” said — Gutzman encourages kets are also emerging, John Bishop, president of farmers with small fl ocks to especially among Asia’s ris- Pendleton Woolen Mills. pool their wool with others. ing middle classes. Accord- Consumers also increas- Gutzman said farmers ing to the Animal Frontiers ingly want “local” prod- should also be aware of study, because wool is four ucts, and Pendleton Woolen market trends. For exam- to seven times more expen- Mills is well-positioned to ple, U.S. consumers have Coverage can sive to produce and process tout that it sources wool been moving toward softer than most fi bers, it’s mar- from many U.S. farms. wool, 23 microns or fi ner. keted internationally as a Pendleton also buys The domestic value of luxury niche product. from Australia, New Zea- fi ne wool from a white- Wool has also found a land, Brazil and Uruguay, faced breed like a Ram- place among eco-conscious but the company sources as bouillet is worth about consumers avoiding man- much wool as possible — three to four times more per made fi bers. about 40% — from domes- pound than coarse black- “I see the push for natu- tic ranches. face sheep wool, according ral fi bers as being good for According to April Rog- to Gutzman. the wool business,” said ers, Pendleton’s spokes- Not every farmer can Dan Gutzman, manager of woman, some longtime jump into the fi ne wool Pendleton Woolen Mills’ providers include Krebs industry, however. It takes Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press Employees at Pendleton Woolen Mills in Pendleton, Ore., work beside spinning frames, which take the wool from the roving stage to the yarn stage by simul- taneously drafting or stretching the roving and twist- ing. This process entraps the fi bers and gives the yarn strength and a defi ned texture. Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press Jaime Ramirez, a dresser at the mill in Pendleton, at the warp. Dressing prepares threads for the loom. EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS begin on the first of any month. ASSOCIATION HEALTH PLANS - in - OREGON & SW WASHINGTON SPECIAL RATES FOR MEMBERS • Farmers • Ranchers • Food Producers WE SPECIALIZE IN BULK BAGS! BAGS: • Seed Bags • Fertilizer Bags • Feed Bags • Potato Bags • Printed Bags • Plain Bags • Bulk Bags • Totes • Woven Polypropylene • Bopp • Polyethylene • Pocket Bags • Roll Stock & More! 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