We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susan Barnhardt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Susan, appreciate you joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
It would be great if I said this was a brainstorm moment. The answer is pretty simple. As I was working on a report about developing a wool hemp blended yarn, I wrote the word SHEMP instead of sheep. I put the report through a spell check and the word came up. I looked at it and thought “wow, that would be a great name for a brand.” Having spent many years working with notable consumer brands, I knew having a name that stood out from the crowd and actually represented the product, yarn made from Wool and Hemp = SHEMP would help move our company forward. To make the name even more powerful, we created our logo, a friendly SHEMP with a set of personality traits and a look that would engage consumers. We use the name and the logo to be a visual representation of our brand promise, our mission, vision and products.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Well, I certainly did not start out to own a yarn company. I spent most of career either representing products or working with Fortune 500 brands to increase sales by leveraging the equity of a partner brand. In other words, I was a partner finder for brands to develop and execute promotions where both brands brought elements to the table that maximized exposure to the target consumer. I did this for over 30 years and then retired, or so I thought. My involvement with hemp started when the 2018 Farm B ill was passed legalizing hemp as a crop. Based on my background and my involvement with the NHA, I was approached by members of the American Sheep Industry Ranchers to find new ways to market their wool by blending it with hemp. Experts validated that wool and hemp would create a yarn for used in textiles that would combine the attributes of both natural fibers in regard to performance, environmental impacts and support the consumer desire for products that are ‘sustainable’. Unfortunately, the hemp industry had not evolved to meet the Textile Industry’s needs, and in 2019, they abandoned the project.
The idea intrigued me. The idea was intriguing. The time between 2019 and 201 provided an idea opportunity for research and validation of the need, uses and benefit of this yarn. ? Research verified that this yarn would bring value to consumers and that 88% of shoppers would like brands to help them be more environmentally friendly and ethical. Translation: shoppers were actively looking for products that were not just good but ethically produced, eco-friendly, and sustainable. Great, let’s make SHEMP Yarn as it addresses those identified needs.
Well, it wasn’t that easy. The intent was and still is to produce our yarn in the US. While wool was available in the US the hemp that was needed was not. Also, spinners, the makers of yarn, were not interested in working with hemp unless I could supp0ly it in a form that worked for them. Ok, another challenge! I continued on and found a source of processed hemp fiber that would work in the EU. I engaged the supplier. Now, I needed to find a spinner who would work with me. Once I found the spinning source, I moved on to create SHEMP Yarn. SOnds simple but the journey has been long. Bringing this product to market required prototypes, testing, consumer feedback and a supportive husband and considerable amount of my husband’s and my retirement funds. In other words, this was not cheap!
I am proud to say that now in late 2022, our company has produced a yarn that from field to market is brought to the marketplace with sustainability impact in mind. We endeavor to choose every step of our journey through the supply chain with ethics and transparency. Our story is about how SHEMP yarn works to deliver a sustainable product using nature’s cleverest renewables, Wool and Hemp.
What sets us apart? SHEMP Yarn is made on the USA. It is made from wool and hemp, not cotton and hemp, an important difference when looking for products that are antimicrobial, breathable, moisture wicking and strong. Our company is women-owned. (We put the SHE in SHEMP) The yarn used ion products for knitter, socks and beanies is artisan yarn. KI am proud of the team that is supporting me and the people I met along the way that cheer me on.
In the past year, we created yarn for makers, socks a, hats and beanies for the outdoor apparel industry. Right now, we are working on moving SHEMP products into the marketplace. We look forward sustaining a better future for both people and the planet.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
As a start-up company, every day brings a new challenge and near-death moments. In the industrial hemp business, it is difficult to secure financing. When the Farm Bill passed, there was not education on the difference in the hemp grown for CBD and the hemp grown for over 100o uses in industries across the board. The hard truth is that when Hemp was first legalized, most investors jumped on the CBD bandwagon. With the market downturn of CBD, and the many reported losses of farmers and others, the idea of investing in hemp is daunting.
So, where do you go? Truthfully, you have to tap into your own resources, in my case, retirement funds and a very generous son.
As an entrepreneur, risk and a belief in what you are doing is part of your makeup. Every day you find ways to move forward. You take care of what is most important, your staff, your basic operating costs and the costs of going to market carefully. There are days when you say, OH God, why did I do this? and then something wonderful happens, a prospective client, a friend who offers to help at a very low cost, your family cheers you on and so you go on with the goal, of success in your mnd and heart.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
Yes, we manufacture SHEMP in the USA. No, I never manufactured any product in my lifetime. I had a good start with the experts at the Sheep Ranchers Association and the Wool Council. Although th initial idea for a wool hemp natural fiber yarn derailed, the opportunity laid the foundation to understand how making yarn worked and where I could find guidance.
This may seem odd, but COVID provided the time to do research, study and learn about the textile process and to make connections within the industry. There were challenges while wool was abundant in the US with a supplier in SC, the hemp fiber was not. I talked to experts who lead me to find what I needed in the EU from a transparent source. Since the yarn production was not at scale, I had to find a spinner who not only would take a chance to create a yarn from wool and hemp but who would work through the process with me.
I learned several lessons. One of them is ask for help when you need it. You will get answers. I learned not to get too excited when your prototype is proven and send too much! And I learned that in the manufacturing process, you must wait your turn patiently from order to delivery.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shempyarn.com
- Instagram: @shempyarnco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shempyarn/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-barnhardt-920a064
- Twitter: shempyarn