From the Founders of Tom's of Maine and Winners of Entrepreneur of the Year Award from CNBC
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All About Rambouillet
Posted by admin
Tue, 2009-10-06 15:30

Ramblers Way wool begins with Rambouillet sheep, raised in America. Thanks to the efforts of the Australian and New Zealand wool councils, many people are aware of the Merino sheep breed. Merino wool is often produced in Australia and New Zealand, processed in China, and shipped to the United States for retail sale.

The Rambouillet breed is far lesser known to American consumers. However, since the beginnings of the domestic wool industry, Rambouillet has been the cornerstone breed for American sheep farmers and textile manufacturers. Ramblers Way seeks to reintroduce Rambouillet wool to American customers, part of the long and rich history of this celebrated breed.

Distant relatives of the Rambouillet were first introduced to Western Europe by the Moors, during their conquest of Spain in the 14th century. Eventually, the Spaniards repelled the invaders, but kept their sheep flocks, cultivating the first examples of the Spanish Merino breed. Indeed, Merino and Rambouillet exist as closely related cousins, exhibiting many of the same characteristics, having descended from the same ancestors.

The Spanish Merino dominated wool production during the rise of the Spanish Empire in early modern Europe. At that time, premium wool was highly prized as a valuable source of clothing for both military and civilian use. For the Spanish Empire, a monopoly on the source of Merino wool was a significant political advantage over the rest of Europe.

Rambouillet refers to the town of the breed’s formal origin—Rambouillet, France, the site of a 17th century “Manhattan Project.” There, in the 1780s, King Louis XVI created an experimental farm to cultivate the Spanish wool breed domestically. A gift from his cousin, the King of Spain, of nearly 400 sheep, formed the basis for what would become the original Rambouillet flock.

During the tumult of the ensuing decades, the Spanish Merinos were released outside of Spain in large numbers. Their descendants spread around the globe, as Spain’s once prized monopoly crumbled with its empire. Meanwhile, even during the tumult of the French Revolution, the farmers at Rambouillet managed to keep their heads and the purity of their flock in check. The Rambouillet sheep there continued to maintain distinct, favorable properties, as a pure breed of wool.

During the 19th century, American wool farmers began importing Rambouillet sheep for the first time. The American sheep industry made extensive use of the French breed, cross-breeding the sheep with existing flocks to bolster the wool quality. A small group of farmers strived to maintain the purity of the Rambouillet breed. In 1890, the American Rambouillet Association was formed with the intention of recording and promoting Rambouillet farming in America.

Today, Ramblers Way farms and partners with other producers of Rambouillet to produce our superfine worsted wool garments. For the many positive and unique properties of our wool, we pay homage to the long history and cast of players who have left the legacy of American Rambouillet.

Rambouillet is known for its superior, long staple, dense, fine wool. A light-shrinking staple of three inches or better results in greater thread length hence more thread produced per pound of wool. Fine wool means the threads are thinner and finer, again resulting in a higher thread count (Source: American Rambouillet Association). This makes Rambouillet ideal for Ramblers Way worsted wool garments. The American Rambouillet Association lists the following as some of the characteristics of Rambouillet sheep:

Big, hardy and vigorous

  1. Great adaptability to hot and cold climates and a variety of forage conditions
  2. Ewes are prolific, good milkers with strong maternal instinct
  3. Excellent wool production
  4. Superior out-of-season breeders suitable for an accelerated lambing program Ewes have less lambing difficulties with less death of offspring.
  5. Well developed flocking instinct to band together in open areas
  6. Resistance to internal parasites and disease
  7. Grazing animals needing minimal labor

We thank the American Rambouillet Association for their contributions to this article. At Ramblers Way, we take pride in continuing the legacy of Rambouillet sheep in America.

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Carbon Neutr-wool
Posted by admin
Wed, 2009-07-29 08:29

There is no such thing as zero carbon emissions in our industry. However, this does not stop us from doing all that we can to reduce our carbon emissions as much as possible, and bring our customers a carbon neutral product. 

All too often, the concept of carbon emissions provides ample fodder for gimmicky marketing appeals. From an early stage, we were determined to provide a product that produced very low carbon emissions. However, as we searched for an independent third-party to measure and audit our carbon emissions, we found some companies were focused more on the potential marketing upside than on actual emissions control. These firms used exisiting industry averages to guesstimate our emissions - the kind of lax carbon auditing that was not going to cut it for Ramblers Way. We didn’t want our commitment to low carbon emissions to boil down to just an approximated number. Currently, we’ve partnered with a third-party that is helping us to develop our own metrics and assessments to better calculate our carbon emissions report card. 

Limiting our carbon emissions is a major commitment from our company, which begins in the earliest stages of our production. Keeping wool clean while it is on our sheep helps to limit the need for extensive washing and cleaning of wool once it enters the manufacturing stage. You may have noticed the jackets worn by some of our sheep, designed to keep them clean on the farm. We buy wool that is largely free of grease and vegetable matter—all in an effort to reduce the carbon emissions of cleaning our wool down the line. 

Whenever possible, we use bio-fuels in our trucks and tractors. We partner with other farms and companies that share a commitment to reduced carbon emissions, exemplified through low impact and efficient processes. We strive to produce our own renewable solar, wind, and geothermal energy. Through a chemical-free production process, we decrease carbon emissions normally expended to clean the toxic chemicals of other clothing manufacturing cycles. 

All of these efforts combine to make Ramblers Way products very low in carbon emissions. However, in our pursuit of a carbon neutral buying experience for our customers, we’ve committed to purchasing carbon offset credits to create zero net emissions. It’s something you can keep in mind when you purchase Ramblers Way wool garments. We consider it doing a small amount of our part to ensure the sustainability of our communities and environment.

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Degree of Difference
Using Ramblers Way Wool as Personal Thermostat
Posted by admin
Wed, 2009-07-29 08:28

How much money would you save each year if you saved five degrees on heating? How much money would you save if you washed your clothes half as often? How much of an impact on the environment could you have by taking these steps to lower your energy footprint? 

These are the questions we’ve kept in mind in creating Ramblers Way next-to-skin garments. Our wool is lightweight and soft enough to wear right next to your skin, while also fitting comfortable under other clothes as a base layer. Our wool is naturally insulating, providing warmth and preserving body heat when it’s cold. Our fabric is breathable, keeping you cool when it’s hot. Our wool wicks moisture away from your body and absorbs odors, while naturally resisting soiling.

Together, these properties transform your Ramblers Way garment into a personal thermostat, providing you with next-to-skin climate control, without utility bill costs. The Department of Energy estimates that households that lower their thermostats by one degree Fahrenheit could save between $15-40 annually (Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/consumptionbriefs/recs/thermostat_settings/thermostat.html). This means, if your Ramblers Way helps you save only five degrees off your heating costs, you could save between $75-$200 each year. Additionally, each degree of heat represents, on average, 1% of a household’s heating footprint. Cutting five degrees from your utilities will decrease your household’s footprint by 5%. 

Since Ramblers Way is naturally resistant to odors and soiling, this means you don’t need to wash it nearly as often as comparable garments, so feel free to wear it every day, and watch your laundry costs go down. Ramblers Way wool is treated with a chemical-free enzyme wash to make our garments machine-washable in cold water. Switching from hot to cold water washing, for three loads of clothes per week, could save you as much as $27 per year. If you wash four out of five loads, on cold/cold, you could cut two-thirds of a kilogram of greenhouse gas emissions per month (Source: http://www.bchydro.com/guides_tips/green-your-home/water_guide/cold_water_laundry.html). 

There is no silver bullet to eliminate utility costs and our personal carbon footprints. However, in this tough economy, Ramblers Way provides a personal climate control solution, that may help decrease your reliance on your thermostat. Best of all, since Ramblers Way is made with high quality wool, it’s designed to last for years to come. We can’t promise that Ramblers Way is one investment that won’t fail….but, well, we’re entitled to our opinion, right?!

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The Ramblers Way
Re-imagine Wool
Posted by admin
Wed, 2009-07-29 08:26

 My first job was my own paper route when I was a young boy. Decades later, when I founded Tom’s of Maine in the 1970s, I came to see my business as my second paper route. The basics remained the same. In building one of the world’s first and largest natural personal care products company, my wife Kate and I recognized the need to operate as part of something so much larger than ourselves—responsible to our customers, or community, and our environment. In founding Ramblers Way, my third paper route, we started with the same principles that we have always strived to embody in business and in our beliefs.

We know that the population of our country is getting older, and as such, there is a greater need than ever for personal comfort and warmth from the clothes we wear. Additionally, during these times of great challenge and change, we are more aware than ever of the complex fabric of community, needs, and values that bind us all together. In creating Ramblers Way, we’ve strived to create clothing that delights our customers, benefits the values and causes we care about, and helps to have a positive impact on our environment and world. 

We’ve created next-to-skin wool garments that I believe you will find to be softer and more comfortable than almost any natural fiber on the market. The secret to this is the superior quality and technology that goes into creating our wool, which you can read about [below]. Since our products are wool, they are naturally moisture- and odor-absorbing, through the wicking action of this remarkable material. This means you can wear Ramblers Way more than once without having to wash it (I personally wear mine everyday and wash them about once a week)—this can help save on utility bill costs not to mention being lower impact on the environment. Along this vein, Ramblers Way wool is machine washable, as it is treated with a special non-toxic enzyme wash (as opposed to the chlorine wash used by most wool retailers). 

Our garments are lightweight, and are highly breathable. They will insulate your body like a cocoon to keep you warm, and they will repel heat and perspiration when it is warm. Our garments can be worn easily under a business suit, uniform, or outdoor gear, in all types of weather and throughout the year. I believe that they will truly cause you to re-imagine what wool can do. 

However, as with Tom’s of Maine, delighting our customers with a superior product is only part of our mission at Ramblers Way. We’ve worked hard to create a sustainable company that does our part to contribute to our communities, environment, and world. 

It is a sobering fact for the American wool industry that the vast majority of manufacturing and production has today been outsourced to other countries, where labor and business costs are far lower than domestic alternatives. Not only has this eliminated American jobs and companies, it has led to a wool marketplace where the majority of clothing arrives to American customers after having been shipped across the globe (sometimes multiple times). 

Ramblers Way clothing is farmed and produced entirely within the United States for the benefit of local communities and the American economy. We grow wool sustainably and responsibly from our farm in Maine, and our partner farms throughout the country, who share our high standards for ecological best practices and humane treatment of livestock. Our farmers and manufacturers exist as part of the longstanding, rich tradition of American wool production—an industry which we hope to breathe new life into through Ramblers Way. 

We strive to uphold this American tradition, while incorporating what we’ve learned about sustainable business practices. Since our garments are produced domestically and with high efficiency in mind, our carbon emissions are already low. Beyond this, we purchase carbon offset credits, to make our products carbon neutral. Our farms work to keep our sheep well-fed and clean, improving their quality of life, while also lessening the need to launder our wool in production, reducing our environmental impact and emissions. We’re in the process of outfitting our barn with solar panels, to help contribute back clean energy through our operation. Our production methods are non-toxic and chemical free. Our sheep are raised for wool exclusively, and not meat. We are web-based, connecting directly with our customers. Our company is committed to contributing 10% of our profits and 5% of our time to charitable causes we support. 

I learned countless valuable lessons at Tom’s of Maine, chief among them rang true with my paper route as well. Building a successful business takes passion and commitment. It also takes a humility and willingness to do the hard work, even when it means going uphill or against the current. Today, we announce the launch of Ramblers Way and the beginning of what I hope will be a long journey. We cannot promise that we will get everything right out of the box. We can and do promise that we will continue to strive to improve our product and practices, for the betterment of our customers and our world, one step and garment at a time 

Already, the Ramblers Way story is an exciting and extensive one. In bringing you our product launch, we’ve met and connected with many people who share our values and beliefs, behind Ramblers Way. We now have a powerful tool to interact with our customers and supporters through our website—and we welcome feedback! I hope you take the time to explore the rest of our site and learn more about our farm, company, and products. 

Lastly, I’d like to invite you and yours to experience Ramblers Way wool firsthand. Please fill out this form to receive a free sample of our fabric in the mail. We’re convinced that once you feel our fabric, you’ll know why it represents a re-imagining of wool into something better than even. Thanks so much for visiting!

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