The Natural Fibre Company (TNFC) is a

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

mill based in

Launceston, Cornwall Launceston ( or , locally or , kw, Lannstevan; rarely spelled Lanson as a local abbreviation) is a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is west of the middle stage of the River Tamar, which c ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and is the only small-scale full range

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

in the UK. The focus of the business is to add value to naturally coloured raw fleece which it buys from farmers, smallholders and rare sheep breeders. Through this commission spinning work it is providing support in the preservation of rare breed sheep and is helping to improve commercial returns within the wool industry. It is one of only a handful of mills worldwide that processes yarn in small quantities for craftspeople and smaller businesses.

Company history

The Natural Fibre Company has been spinning wool since 1991. Following its takeover and relocation to Cornwall in 2005, TNFC launched its own brand of wool products, Blacker Designs. Although the company was started in

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, by Myra Mortlock in 1991 to spin wool on a small scale, largely for smallholders, it was a continuation of a business bought from Rose Elworthy who had launched it in the mid-1980s. With her husband Philip, Myra produced natural and undyed wool in the traditional way, later moving the business to an industrial unit at

Lampeter Lampeter (; cy, Llanbedr Pont Steffan (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, ...

in mid-Wales before selling it to Sue Blacker after the Mortlocks decided to retire in 2004. Sue Blacker had a small flock of

Gotland sheep The Gotland, also called the Gotland Pelt (Swedish: Pälsfår), is a breed of domestic sheep named for the Swedish island of Gotland. A breed of Northern European short-tailed sheep, they are thought to be the product of crossbreeding between the ...

and was a TNFC customer. She approached other customers with a research survey to determine exactly what they wanted and put together a business plan approved for European Union Objective One funding in the spring of 2005. TNFC was taken over from the Mortlocks on 14 November 2005 and relocated to a factory at Launceston in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

close to the Devon border.

The company today

The Natural Fibre Company scours, cards, spins and dyes fibre on both woollen and worsted systems, working in batches upwards of 20 kilos. There are also organic production runs. In addition to advising sheep owners how to get the best fibre from their flocks and turn it into a form they can sell, The Natural Fibre Company is increasingly buying wool from its customers for use in its own range of products, Blacker Designs. This new direction for the TNFC started in 2005 when managing director Sue Blacker and her family bought the company from its previous owners. It received help from European Union Objective One funding, outside investors and fund managers Finance Cornwall. All the wool going through the mill is British and includes some from the

Falklands Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about fro ...

External links

TNFC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natural Fibre Company Companies based in Cornwall Launceston, Cornwall Manufacturing companies established in 1991 1991 establishments in England