Sitting on my desk is a black-and-white photograph of my parents, rock climbing in Austria in 1969. Despite the lack of color, it’s clear my young folks are sporting nearly all wool clothes – pants, plaid shirts, tall socks, a woolen cap on my dad. Some of these items made it into my childhood, and I’ll never forget the scratchy feel of that material. I pitied mom and dad for having to wear such uncomfortable clothes, and I still marvel today that people ever recreated in such discomfort.
We need itch no more! Meet the Duckworth Company, a local wool business that creates Merino wool products with Montana-grown wool, made entirely in the United States. The wool is produced on a 25,000-acre ranch outside Dillon, Montana, owned and operated by the Helle family, co-founders and fourth-generation sheep ranchers. Involved in every step of the process from raising and shearing the sheep to overseeing the manufacturing of the clothing, head rancher John Helle has created a wool I wish my parents had: soft, but still robust and breathable – perfect for recreating, ranching, and generally being outdoors in Montana.
How did this all come about? An avid back-country skier and wearer of wool, Helle was riding up the one chairlift available at Maverick Mountain one 2013 day with his friend Bernie, who has a background in apparel. What began as a lamenting session that there were no superior U.S. made wool base layers ended with the concept for Duckworth, and the rest is history. They named the company after a crotchety mill worker, an Englishman named Mr. Duckworth.
The Helle family has ranched this land in Dillon since the 1930s. “My great-grandfather had a small farm outside Dillon,” says Helle, “but when he passed away in his early 50s, my great-grandmother sold it to the bank and bought a smaller place in town that we still own today.” Since that time, the Helles have raised Rambouillet Merino sheep on this land, an ancient breed from Western Europe known for its soft wool.
The process of getting this wool from sheep to shelf is a family affair. “John is a rancher first and foremost,” says Fionna Pierce, Duckworth’s head of marketing. “He’s our founder and owner, but most of the time he’s a boots-on-the-ground rancher in Dillon.” Karen Helle, John’s wife, is the CFO, handling administration, payroll, and HR. They have four children – Evan, Nathan, Weston, and Clare – Evan is the Director of Operations for Duckworth, and Weston ranches with John. Nathan and Clare work in Dillon, in construction and as a surgical tech, respectively.
What about the sheep? Well, they have a pretty good life. Ranging openly at elevations up to 9,500 feet, the herd makes its way from the ranch every July into the Gravelly Mountains, guided by shepherds and border collies, where they graze on natural grasses on Forest Service lease land. The sheep can handle a swing of 40 below to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and all these factors grow a wool that is especially soft yet sturdy, and “very crimpy,” as Evan puts it. “Sheep are very nomadic, gregarious, and intelligent,” Helle explains. “They can recognize faces and voices. They’ve evolved over nine thousand years never leaving their flock and having a shepherd tend them, so they’re wired differently from cattle or horses. They don’t like being outside the group.”
What about the sheep? Well, they have a pretty good life. Ranging openly at elevations up to 9,500 feet, the herd makes its way from the ranch every July into the Gravelly Mountains, guided by shepherds and border collies, where they graze on natural grasses on Forest Service lease land. The sheep can handle a swing of 40 below to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and all these factors grow a wool that is especially soft yet sturdy, and “very crimpy,” as Evan puts it. “Sheep are very nomadic, gregarious, and intelligent,” Helle explains. “They can recognize faces and voices. They’ve evolved over nine thousand years never leaving their flock and having a shepherd tend them, so they’re wired differently from cattle or horses. They don’t like being outside the group.”
After being shorn onsite at the ranch, the sheep scamper back to being sheep, and each fleece is then tested and graded. Duckworth has partnered with the Montana Lab Wool at Montana State University, which assists in genetic testing. Fibers are spun into a special yarn and sent across the country to hard-won wool manufacturers, where they are finished into garments.
It’s worth noting that the U.S. textile industry has been depressed for some time, and thus most wool apparel is manufactured overseas. Creating jobs and community by staying local is a priority for the Helles, and because America’s few textile mills are geared toward synthetics and cotton, it took some effort to locate a U.S.-based processor. But before long, Duckworth began thriving while keeping its wool, processing, and manufacturers within this country.
Besides shirts – base to outer layers – Duckworth also makes vests, jackets, leggings, underwear, hats gloves, balaclavas, neck gaiters, hoodies, sweatshirts, and koozies. Their website even has a “Layer-Finder” quiz to help shoppers determine the best choices for them.
Keeping their supply chain vertically integrated and practicing good land stewardship and conservation are all paramount to Duckworth. “I work with the Ruby Valley Strategic Alliance, and several of us ranchers meet monthly with planning boards, conservation groups, the Forest Service, BLM, and others to work through important issues to preserve the natural aspects of the Ruby Valley,” says Helle. “We have similar desires for the management of this land, and when we get together, we’ve been very successful in helping to protect public lands. By keeping working ranches on the landscape, we help to safeguard open space and corridors.”
In addition to this contribution, Duckworth ultimately supports local economies and communities. “Bringing jobs back to local communities is special for us,” says Pierce. “It’s not easy to find a reliable American supply chain, but we believe it’s the right thing to do.” To use one of the Helles’ mottos, there is no bad weather – only bad clothing. And with Duckworth, you know where that good clothing came from.
“Sheep are very nomadic, gregarious, and intelligent.”
“John is a rancher first and foremost. He’s our founder and owner, but most of the time he’s a boots-on-the-ground rancher."
