The Natural Fibre Company

The Natural Fibre Company is a specialist British woollen mill based in Launceston, Cornwall, transforming raw wool, alpaca, mohair and other natural fibres into high-quality yarns and fibre products. Combining traditional textile expertise with modern manufacturing techniques, the company provides a complete range of fibre-processing services under one roof.

About Company

The Natural Fibre Company specialises in processing natural fibres for farmers, smallholders, designers, premium fashion brands, textile businesses and other customers in the UK and internationally.

The business has its roots in the early 1990s, when Myra Mortlock started the company in Merthyr Tydfil. The business continued an earlier small-scale spinning operation established by Rose Elworthy in the 1980s, initially producing natural and undyed wool for smallholders. It later moved to an industrial unit in Lampeter, Mid Wales.

In 2004, Gotland sheep breeder Sue Blacker acquired the business and developed plans to expand its capabilities. In 2005, the company relocated to a 10,000-square-foot factory in Launceston, Cornwall, where scouring and blending operations began. Organic fibre production followed in 2006, with mohair and alpaca subsequently added to the range. Worsted and semi-worsted spinning capabilities were also introduced as the mill developed.

The Natural Fibre Company has continued to invest in its production facilities and expertise. In 2019, the business and its Blacker Yarns sister company were acquired by Colin Spencer Halsey and Graham Higgins, with Colin Spencer Halsey becoming CEO and sole owner in 2022.

Today, the company describes itself as an award-winning specialist, vertically integrated woollen mill. Its manufacturing operation is based in Launceston, where a skilled team processes natural fibres from raw fleece through to finished yarn.

Products & Services

The Natural Fibre Company’s core service is turning raw fleece into finished yarn and other usable fibre products.

The company works with wool, alpaca and mohair, as well as other natural fibres including silk, linen and bamboo. It can also work with selected alternative and manufactured fibres for specific blends and development projects.

Its services include fleece preparation, sorting and grading, scouring, drying, blending, carding, gilling, combing, woollen spinning, worsted spinning, twisting, plying and finishing.

The company can process relatively small batches as well as commercial quantities. Its trade services cover batches from around 12kg of finished product through to 1,000kg and above, while specific minimum quantities depend on whether woollen or worsted spinning is required.

The Natural Fibre Company also provides fibre-sourcing services. Where customers do not have enough of their own material, the company can source additional fibre through merchants or directly from specialist producers of British and rare-breed wool.

This allows customers to develop yarns based around particular breeds, regions, colours or fibre characteristics.

Manufacturing Process

One of the company’s greatest strengths is that it carries out the majority of the fibre-processing journey under one roof.

The process begins with preparation, where incoming fleece is sorted and graded according to characteristics such as fibre quality, colour, length and suitability for the intended end product.

The fleece is then scoured and dried. Scouring removes dirt, grease and other unwanted material from the raw fibre while preparing it for subsequent processing.

Once clean, the fibre can be blended, carded, gilled and combed. These processes progressively open, align and prepare the fibres for spinning. Blending can be used to combine different colours, fibre types or sources to achieve particular characteristics in the finished yarn.

The next stage is spinning.

The Natural Fibre Company offers both woollen and worsted spinning, which is an important distinction within textile manufacturing. Woollen spinning generally produces yarns with a softer and more traditional structure, while worsted spinning uses longer and more aligned fibres to create smoother, more durable yarns.

After spinning, yarn can be twisted and plied to achieve the required structure and strength before moving through the finishing process.

The finished yarn can then be prepared for customers in the required format and specification.

Manufacturing Capabilities

The Natural Fibre Company’s vertically integrated production model is one of the company’s defining characteristics.

Rather than relying on a series of separate specialist businesses for washing, carding, spinning and finishing, the company can perform these key stages at its own mill in Launceston.

This gives the business greater control over the production process and allows individual customer batches to be tracked through the mill.

The company states that each incoming batch is handled separately so customers can have their own fibre returned to them in its processed form, unless they specifically request blending with another source. This traceability is particularly valuable for farmers, smallholders and brands developing products around specific flocks, breeds or geographical sources.

The mill has experience processing fleece from approximately 50 of the more than 60 sheep breeds found in Britain, including rare and specialist varieties. This gives the company considerable knowledge of how different fibre characteristics affect processing and the eventual yarn produced.

Woollen & Worsted Spinning

Having both woollen and worsted spinning capabilities under one roof gives The Natural Fibre Company considerable flexibility.

Woollen spinning is suited to many traditional and textured yarns, while worsted spinning can produce smoother yarns with the fibres more closely aligned.

The company can produce yarns to customer specifications and can work from samples where a particular yarn construction or characteristic needs to be reproduced.

Its trade services include woollen spinning for knitting and weaving yarns, as well as worsted spinning across a range of yarn specifications depending on the fibre being processed.

This flexibility makes the mill suitable for everything from specialist small-batch projects to larger commercial textile production.

Bespoke Yarn Development

The Natural Fibre Company is not simply a contract processor.

The business also works with customers on research, development and bespoke yarn creation, helping brands, designers and producers turn unusual or locally sourced fibres into commercially useful products.

This can involve experimenting with fibre blends, colours, spinning methods and yarn specifications.

The company can blend different natural fibres and can also incorporate materials such as nylon, silk, bamboo, Tencel, hemp and flax where appropriate. Some wool products can also be blended with mohair or other fibres to achieve particular characteristics.

This development work allows the mill to support customers who are creating something new rather than simply looking for an existing standard yarn.

Industries & Markets Served

The Natural Fibre Company works across the textile, fashion and natural-fibre industries.

Its customers include farmers and smallholders, independent designers, premium fashion brands, textile businesses, yarn companies and other organisations looking to develop or manufacture specialist fibre products.

The company has worked with premium brands and designers on new developments and specialised production projects, and its capabilities are suitable for both small-batch and commercial production.

One notable collaboration involved John Smedley and the Campaign for Wool, producing the Duchy Wool Collection using British wool sourced from tenant farmers of the Duchy of Cornwall estate. The project resulted in limited-edition garments including the Cornwall sweater, Balmoral vest and Duchy cardigan.

The company therefore sits at an interesting point between agriculture, textile manufacturing and fashion, helping transform raw natural fibres into higher-value products.

British Wool & Traceability

British fibre is central to The Natural Fibre Company’s identity.

The company states that it sources almost everything from Britain where possible and specialises in British wool, including individual breed-based yarns.

This focus allows customers to retain a strong connection between the original flock or farm and the finished textile product.

For brands increasingly interested in provenance and traceability, this can be particularly valuable. Instead of treating wool simply as a commodity, the company can help preserve information about its source and characteristics throughout the manufacturing process.

The mill’s experience with different British breeds also means that customers can develop yarns designed around the distinctive characteristics of particular fleeces.

Sustainability & Circular Manufacturing

Natural fibres and responsible manufacturing are central to the company’s approach.

The Natural Fibre Company carries out its main processing stages at its Cornwall mill, reducing the need to move fibre between multiple processing facilities. The company says this helps limit its carbon footprint.

It also recycles most of the waste materials generated through its manufacturing processes and has highlighted its work towards the circular economy and Future Net Zero accreditation.

The company states that it aims to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible and uses processes for normal production that are closely aligned with its organic production practices.

The mill also avoids certain energy-intensive treatments such as traditional superwash processing and carbonisation, instead relying on other processing techniques to remove unwanted material from fibres where practical.

Cornwall Manufacturing

The Natural Fibre Company’s location in Launceston is an important part of its identity.

The business relocated to Cornwall in 2005 and has now been operating there for more than two decades.

The mill provides a specialist manufacturing capability within the region, connecting local and British agricultural fibre production with textile manufacturers, designers and brands.

Its position in Cornwall also allows the company to participate in projects centred around regional identity and local fibre. The Duchy Wool Collection is one example of how the mill can connect British farming, natural fibres, textile manufacturing and finished consumer products.

Research, Development & Innovation

Although The Natural Fibre Company works with traditional materials and long-established textile processes, the business takes an innovative approach to fibre development.

Its team works on research and development projects and welcomes collaborations involving new products and unusual fibre combinations. The company’s in-house testing capability allows it to investigate materials beyond its regular wool, alpaca and mohair production.

This combination of traditional knowledge and modern development makes the company particularly interesting to manufacturers and designers experimenting with natural fibres.

The mill’s ability to process relatively small batches is also important for product development. Designers and brands can develop and test specialist yarns without necessarily needing the very large quantities associated with mass textile manufacturing.