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Patrick Holland holding one of his
precious sheep in the summer of 2001
About Woolgatherer Carding Mill
Patrick Holland established the Woolgatherer Carding Mill in 1999 after a full life of exploring all types of different venues that had little to do with Wool. His love for animals led him to acquiring 5 sheep dogs. Soon after, Patrick decided that it was time for him to move to the country to become a shepherd where he could provide his dogs with a flock of sheep to herd and protect. He ended up in the Shasta Valley where he began the extensive and time consuming process of raising sheep. |
When his flocks started to produce wool, Patrick was surprised by how difficult it was to find someone to purchase the wool at a reasonable price. He quickly realized that it would be near impossible to make a living selling his wool, so he began to think up ideas of what else he could do with his wool that could potentially turn a profit.
Around this same time, Patrick was introduced to Eliana Jantz and Shepherd’s dream. Shepherd’s dream was in its formative years and on the search for good quality carded wool batting. The combination of Eliana’s need for batting and Patrick’s interest in creating something with his wool led to Patrick’s determination to assemble a wool mill in the Shasta Valley. Inspired by the challenge, he found a recently closed wool carding mill in Oregon and purchased their equipment. He arranged for the disassembly, transport and re-assembly of 30,000 lbs of antique machinery. Patrick found an empty warehouse in Montague, Ca. where he set up this beautiful wool carding mill. This Mill combs the wool 3 times as much as most carding machines creating cleaner and fluffier wool batting resulting in the perfect fill material for natural bedding products. Patrick worked hard to introduce his wool to bedding manufacturers other than Shepherd’s Dream, but it was difficult to find new customers and the weight of owning a mill and a large flock of sheep was weighing on Patrick. In 2003, Patrick was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer and passed on 6 months later on Father’s day. Patrick was an incredible man with great passion who brought joy and inspiration to many people’s lives.
Nathon Thill - New owner of Woolgatherer
Carding Mill
Soon after Patrick's death, Nathon Thill, a friend of Patrick's began to assist with running the mill and soon was asked to purchase the mill from Patrick's wife. Nathon had previously been producing wool mattresses for Shepherd's Dream and with great respect for Patrick, was committed to keeping the wool mill alive and strong and so he agreed. Nathon began to educate himself on all aspects of running a wool mill and with great dedication he slowly turned the Woolgatherer Carding Mill into a highly successful company that is currently one of few wool mills running in the USA. Woolgatherer Carding Mill continues to be a leader in pushing the US wool industry towards a more sustainable and creative future. |
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Nathon Thill of Woolgatherer Carding Mill and
Sarah Sunshine of Shepherd’s Dream in front of
a flock of “Eco Wool” sheep on the Oregon Coast.
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