Dynamic Partnership Celebrates First Year Adding Business Ingredient To Cornish Woollen Mill

The new owners of The Natural Fibre Company and Blacker Yarns, a specialist woollen mill in Launceston, Cornwall are celebrating a successful first year, despite the challenges of trading during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s been business as usual for the Cornish based company which was bought by Westcountry based businessmen, Colin Spencer Halsey and Graham Higgins in December 2019. The partners bring more than 40 years of business expertise with them and hold an impressive track record of strategic mentoring and turning around a range of businesses with their management, manufacturing  and accounting knowhow.

Following the smooth transition of ownership in 2019, The Natural Fibre Company and sister company, Blacker Yarns continue to go from strength to strength – providing job security for the 20 strong, highly skilled, local workforce. The Natural Fibre Company is the only mill in the country to spin both woollen and worsted yarns under the same roof – providing a convenient, reliable and affordable service for its customers in the UK and worldwide.

Operations Director, Colin has attained many prestigious industry accolades and awards including business listings in The Manufacturer’s Top 100 Businesses and South West Fast Growth 75. Colin says:  ‘The potential to support and make an impact on a traditional British manufacturing company really appealed to me. There is no doubt that COVID-19 has brought unforeseen challenges this year, but we have a clear strategy going forward to strengthen our position by implementing new structures, as well as investing in our people, systems and processes. We also aim to automate some of our manual processes, further develop our research and development work in textiles with partners and overall to continue to increase productivity. We’ll be looking to expand our workforce further and to place traction behind the business’.

The Natural Fibre Company has maintained a reputation as a leading specialist providing support to local farmers and yarn producers. It adds value to fleece by blending high quality regional and rare wool, mohair and alpaca with natural fibres such as silk and linen.  The sister company, Blacker Yarns produces a range of contemporary, high-quality, breed-specific yarns in a large variety of colour palettes, made exclusively from British sheep and demonstrating provenance to the environmentally conscious consumer.

Commercial Director, Graham adds: ‘We believe in the social values of our organic processing accreditation and the importance of the British manufacturing industry and our role in supporting farming, the countryside and the environment’.

The Natural Fibre Company is licensed for organic production by the Soil Association and is supported by the Rural Development Programme for England and DEFRA.  Both companies work hard to care for and limit their impact on the environment by reducing their use of plastic and sourcing products from local suppliers including farms whenever possible.  For further information about The Natural Fibre Company and Blacker Yarns visit www.thenaturalfibre.co.uk