Sheep from Imperial Stock Ranch graze in the fields.
Photo courtesy Jeanne Carver
Jeanne Carver and her Maupin-based Imperial Stock Ranch made the news in 2014 and then in 2018 when her wool was used in the Ralph Lauren winter Olympics sweaters. Now, in 2022, her wool is being used once again, but her work has grown far beyond Imperial Stock Ranch.
After the Olympics in 2014, business was booming. The Olympics had changed everything, and everything was looking up. However, in 2015, her husband Dan became ill with an incurable degenerative disease.
“I ended up selling off my whole textile business at the end of 2015,” Carver said. “But we did not sell the ranch. We kept on, it’s still under family. (2022) is our 151st year, and I kept our certification, but I went to the sidelines as I became a full-time caregiver to my husband, he needed my focus.”
Even with her choice to step back, opportunity kept knocking. In the spring of 2016, Ralph Lauren reached out for wool to be used in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Clay Campbell of Campbell Hansmire Sheep Company poses in the U.S. Olympic sweater made with Shaniko Wool Company Wool.
Photo courtesy Jeanne Carver
“I moved (Imperial Ranch’s) wool into the supply chain again, and then I was their voice for the 2018 uniforms,” Carver said. “But my business had been sold off and I was on the sidelines.”
Despite not being involved in the business side of things at this point, Carver found that brands were still interested in their wool. They wanted a traceable sustainably produced wool supply, and she and her husband were able to provide that.
“With the brands continuing to knock on my door, Dan and I decided we could do this again, but we would do it differently,” she said. “I would just scale up a supply of American-grown, RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) certified wool for those brands who wanted to source American fiber, know where it came from and make their products in the U.S. So this would continue to support other family ranches like us by bringing them under my umbrella, and we sell it, paying them a premium and selling that wool for American-made goods.”
This idea would turn into what is now known as the Shaniko Wool Company, which she named after Wasco County’s own ghost town, which was once a boomtown and a railhead that shipped millions of pounds of wool every year.
Ray and Teresa Talbott of Talbott Sheep Company sit outside their pastures of sheep, as Teresa wears the U.S. Olympic sweater.
Photo courtesy Jeanne Carver
“When I started this new company, it just made sense to honor a greater history than our own ranch. And so ‘Shaniko Wool Company,’ honoring the ghost town Shaniko and the whole history of wool in this region. It was the logical name.”
Through Shaniko Wool Company, Carver said she’s able to help other ranchers find stability. They get paid a 25% premium for their wool, because they’re in the RWS program. Additionally, Shaniko Wool Company is the only RWS-certified wool supply in North America, meaning there’s a lot of demand.
With many companies working toward corporate sustainability goals, using preferred fibers and reducing their carbon footprint is often a priority. Because of this, wool that is sustainably produced and meets RWS standards is becoming more and more important in the textile sector.
Besides just benefiting the companies by giving them sustainably-sourced products, Shaniko is also able to benefit ranchers by letting them know exactly where their wool ends up, which is something that wasn’t the case before.
Sheep from Imperial Stock Ranch graze in the fields.
Photo courtesy Jeanne Carver
“You hear in the food system, ‘Where does it come from?’ all the time. Where do your eggs come from? Where does the meat come from?” Carver said. “Yeah, well, it’s never been different with fiber, except the food sector is at least 30 years ahead of textiles … But now, textiles are coming to the table in a huge way.”
The push for sustainable fibers has allowed Shaniko Wool Company to continue bringing textiles to the table in that way, something that Carver takes a lot of pride in.
“For the ranchers who were in Shaniko Wool Company, well, almost all of them prior to being part of my group sold their wool at an auction every year,” she said. “It went into a container and went somewhere, and they never really knew where. They lost track of their harvest; that’s their life’s work.”
Carver said being able to give ranchers the joy of knowing exactly where their wool ends up has been very rewarding for her.
“This year, I made sure that every rancher in our group got an Olympic sweater,” she said. “And they’re so proud. They’re taking photos of their family, their kids, their sweater out by the sheep. They are so excited to know that they’re part of supporting Team USA in the Ralph Lauren uniforms. That’s the greatest victory for me this time around. They know where their wool went. And it feels really good. They’re very proud.”
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