By RON DAINES
Freelance Writer

(March 1, 2010)  Nick Armentrout likes nothing better than to see a clean clip of fine American wool that’s been properly handled. Such wool fits right into his company’s philosophy and marketing plan.

“I love seeing wools when people have done the work,” said Armentrout. “It makes my job a lot easier when more work is done on the ranch.”

Armentrout, who spoke at the Wool Roundtable in Nashville, is the manager of wool supply and manufacturing partners for Ramblers Way Farm based in Kennebunk, Maine.

Ramblers Way grows Rambouillet wool on its own sheep farms in Maine and purchases Rambouillet wool from ranches in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.

To make the fine 100-percent domestic wool undergarments that comprise its current product line, Ramblers Way wants American wool that is 18.5 microns for what it calls “next-to-skin softness and comfort.”

Armentrout described Ramblers Way as a “virtual company” launched in October 2009 by co-founders Tom and Kate Chappelle, who have operated a natural personal care products company, Tom’s of Maine, since 1970.

Ramblers Way is focused on indoor and outdoor apparel that “creates a model of American wool and worsted products.”

“Our purpose is to surprise and delight the discerning consumer seeking a new discovery in personal warmth, comfort and confidence with superfine worsted wool apparel,” Armentrout said.

In addition to 18.5 micron or finer wool, he said Ramblers Way is looking for fully skirted, paint-free fleeces with low vegetable matter and high strength. And it’s willing to pay producers who take the time to do it right.

“We don’t expect you to do the work on the ranch without paying you for the expense of that work,” he said.

The company is also working to maximize its own efficiency.

“What’s fun is to figure out how to get more wool from existing clips,” said Armentrout. “It’s easy to get excited about all the different ways you can use wool.”

Ramblers Way places great importance on how it and the producers it buys from conduct their business. Armentrout said his is a “values-based” company.

“Our values guide us. The way we work will be integral to our success,” he said. “We believe that transparency builds trust and that we must treat our customers with respect. And we will partner with others who share our values.”

Armentrout said his company believes it can achieve financial success while behaving in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable manner.

Indeed, it claims that the wool in its products “is sustainably produced in America with low environmental impact, humane treatment of livestock and to benefit American farmers and workers.”

Under its current product mix, which primarily includes fine wool undergarments, Ramblers Way estimates that it will use about 100,000 pounds greasy wool this year, which Armentrout noted is 0.003 percent of the annual U.S. wool clip. Expansion of the product line is in the works.

Armentrout acknowledged the encouragement of the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI).

“We wouldn’t exist without the support of ASI,” he said.