What Bartlettyarns does

Bartlettyarns, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned wool yarn mill founded in 1821 in Harmony, Maine, currently owned by the Rice family (since 2008). The company operates the last remaining spinning mule in the United States — a Johnson and Wales machine from the 1940s that spins 240 bobbins simultaneously to produce woolen yarns with traditional home-spun appearance, softer twist, and more bloom/loft than modern worsted spinning. Its technology stack also includes a 1950s-era four-bowl Sargents Scouring Train originally developed for MIT, using organic cleansing agents and water recycling, plus proprietary carding systems producing 1-inch round roving. The company maintains a wholly-owned subsidiary, Bartlett Fiber Washing, for specialized fiber washing services.

The product portfolio spans mule-spun woolen yarns in multiple weight categories (2-Ply, 3-Ply, Bulky, Sport, Rug) across 65+ colorways in named lines (Fisherman, Rangeley, Shetlands, Glen Tweeds, Solids, Down East Alpaca, Irish Inspirations), roving and wool top for hand spinning and felting, finished goods (sweaters, blankets, socks, dryer balls), craft kits, digital download patterns, and branded merchandise. Bartlettyarns also offers two tiers of custom fiber processing — Traditional (customers pool like-quality fleece) and Guaranteed (customers receive their own fiber back) — priced at $5.35-$24/lb depending on service.

The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market model: direct-to-consumer e-commerce via bartlettyarns.com (WooCommerce-based, accepting Visa/Mastercard/Amex and PayPal for international orders), two physical retail locations (Harmony, ME mill store handling all wholesale and processing; Rochester, NH retail-only store), a three-tier wholesale division (Traditional at 50% off MSRP, Non-Profit/Designer at 20% off), and active participation in 7+ regional Northeast fiber festivals and trade shows. Customer segments include individual natural fiber enthusiasts, wholesale retailers, fiber artists and designers, educational institutions (4-H, FFA, schools), and fiber producers seeking custom processing.

Name

Bartlettyarns

Legal name

Bartlettyarns, Inc

Website

https://bartlettyarns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1821

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bartlettyarns is a 200+ year-old family-owned Maine wool yarn mill operating the last remaining spinning mule in the United States, selling mule-spun yarns, roving, finished goods, and custom fiber processing services to natural fiber enthusiasts, wholesale retailers, designers, and fiber producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wool Yarn Manufacturing

NAICS

Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills (313110), Fabric Mills (3132), Broadwoven Fabric Mills (31321), Other Textile Product Mills (3149)

SIC

Textile Mill Products (2200), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Textured & Specialty Yarn Manufacturing (Textured/Chenille/Bouclé) (IMAOAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fiber Blending & Preparation (Opening/Carding/Combing) (IMAOAAAC), Natural Fiber Processing (Cotton/Wool/Flax/Hemp) (IMAOAAAA)

Keywords

• Wool yarn manufacturing
• Mule spun yarn
• Custom fiber processing
• Wool roving products
• Finished wool goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Harmony

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Yarn and Fiber Products: Direct-to-consumer sales of wool yarns (2-ply, 3-ply, bulky, sport weights), roving, wool top, and finished goods through company website and physical retail stores. Products include Fisherman, Rangeley, Shetlands, Glen Tweeds, and Solids colorways in over 65+ colors.
2. Finished Goods and Merchandise: Sale of finished wool products including sweaters, blankets, socks, hats, mittens, dryer balls, as well as supplies like knitting needles, felting needles, blending boards, and branded merchandise (t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs).
3. Traditional Custom Processing: Custom processing services where customers bring fiber to the mill for washing, carding, spinning, and weaving. Options include outright purchase of customer fiber or traditional custom processing with pricing based on finished weight or yield calculations.
4. Guaranteed Custom Processing: Premium custom processing ensuring customers receive their own fiber back. Services include professional washing ($5.35/lb), combined washing/carding ($14.25/lb), carding only ($14.75/lb), and spinning services ($23-24/lb based on volume). Minimum 100 lbs of clean fiber required for spinning.
5. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale division with three tiers: Traditional Wholesale at 50% of MSRP, Non-Profit status at 20% discount, and Designer status at 20% discount. Application fee of $25 with $15 credit toward first $300 order.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bartlettyarns manufactures and sells wool yarns, roving, wool top, and finished woolen products produced on the last remaining spinning mule in the United States. The company operates two retail storefronts (Harmony, ME and Rochester, NH), a wholesale division serving retailers and designers, and offers custom fiber processing services (washing, carding, spinning, weaving) for fiber producers and individual customers.

Product overview

Bartlettyarns is a historic Maine yarn company since 1821, operating as the last remaining mule-spun wool mill in the United States. The product portfolio centers on hand-crafted woolen yarns (Fisherman, Rangeley, Shetlands, Glen Tweeds, Solids, Down East Alpaca, Irish Inspirations) in various weights (2-Ply, 3-Ply, Bulky, Sport), complemented by roving and wool top products for spinning and felting. The company offers finished goods including knitwear (sweaters, cardigans, socks), blankets, dryer balls, and crafting supplies (knitting needles, felting tools, blending boards). Bartlettyarns provides custom fiber processing services (Guaranteed and Traditional processing, Bartlett Fiber Washing) and wholesale programs. They also sell kits, digital download patterns, branded merchandise, and gift certificates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yarn Products Mule-spun woolen yarns in 2-Ply, 3-Ply, Bulky, Sport Cones, Sport Skeins, and Rug Yarn weights, featuring a traditional home-spun appearance with softer twist and more bloom/loft.
• Fisherman Yarns Signature specialty yarn since the 1800s, spun with natural lanolin oils for weather-resistant softness, in 2-Ply, 3-Ply, Bulky, Sport Cones, Sport Skeins, and Rug formats.
• Rangeley Yarns Colorways inspired by the lakes, forests, and mountains of Maine, featuring mountain colors spun with natural dark wool blends, in 2-Ply, 3-Ply, and Bulky weights.
• Shetlands Yarns Yarns with combinations of natural and dyed wool colors offering fashion shades with subtle highlights, in 2-Ply, 3-Ply, and Bulky weights.
• Glen Tweeds Yarns Warm tones and textures of authentic Scottish checks and tweeds with root colors shared with fisherman yarns for combining within garments, in 2-Ply, 3-Ply, Bulky, and Sport Skeins.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 years of continuous operation
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Marden-Merrill & Rice Woolen TextilescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributed by Marden-Merrill & Rice Woolen Textiles for internet, retail phone orders, and wholesale application inquiries. Mail: PO Box 63, Barrington, NH 03825. This appears to be a related entity handling distribution and sales operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Brown Sheep Company: Nebraska-based woolen yarn manufacturer operating its own spinning mill and producing natural-color and dyed yarn lines for the hand-knitting market. Comparable as a domestic wool yarn mill with proprietary spinning capabilities and wholesale distribution to independent yarn stores.
• Quince & Co. Maine-based (formerly Maine Yarns) natural-fiber yarn brand spun in New England from American wool. Directly comparable as a heritage New England yarn brand emphasizing American sourcing, traditional spinning, and wholesale plus direct-to-consumer sales to the hand-knitting market.
• Mountain Meadow Wool: Wyoming-based wool processing mill offering scouring, carding, spinning, and finished yarn products from American ranches. Directly comparable as a regional American woolen mill combining custom processing services with retail yarn sales, similar in business model to Bartlettyarns' guaranteed processing plus retail approach.
• Battenkill Fibers: New York-based fiber processing mill offering custom scouring, carding, and spinning services to small-scale fiber producers in the Northeast. Directly comparable as a Northeast fiber processing competitor serving the same small-ruminant farmer customer base as Bartlettyarns' custom processing services.
• Custom Woolen Mills: Alberta, Canada-based family-owned woolen mill offering custom fiber processing (washing, carding, spinning) and retail yarn products. Comparable as a small-scale traditional woolen mill with custom processing services, heritage equipment, and direct-to-consumer plus wholesale distribution.
• Green Mountain Spinnery: Vermont-based small-batch woolen spinning mill producing natural-fiber yarns using traditional methods. Directly comparable as a heritage American woolen yarn manufacturer serving hand-knitting and weaving markets with a similar wholesale and direct-to-consumer model.
• Harrisville Designs: New Hampshire-based historic textile mill producing woolen yarns on water-powered looms and traditional spinning equipment. Comparable as a heritage American woolen mill with similar heritage positioning, retail store, and product line spanning yarn, roving, and weaving supplies.

Broad incumbents

• WEBS (Yarn.com): Massachusetts-based large independent yarn retailer with extensive catalog of domestic and imported yarns including Bartlettyarns products. Comparable as a major Northeast yarn retailer/distributor that competes in the same regional fiber arts market while also serving as a wholesale channel for brands like Bartlettyarns.
• Knitting Warehouse (KnitPicks / WeCrochet): Large-scale direct-to-consumer yarn brand offering natural and synthetic fiber yarns at accessible price points. Comparable as a competing yarn brand targeting the same hand-knitting consumer through e-commerce, though positioned at lower price points and broader product breadth.

Emerging players

• Bramble & Babe / Indie Designer Yarn Brands: Representative of small-batch indie hand-dyed yarn companies that purchase base yarn from mills and resell to fiber artists. Comparable as adjacent participants in the fiber arts ecosystem who overlap with Bartlettyarns' Designer Status wholesale tier and roving/felting product lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bartlettyarns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bartlettyarns-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bartlettyarns