Southern Roots, Family Threads: The Legacy of Red Land Cotton
In this interview, you’ll discover the heartfelt journey of Red Land Cotton, a family-run business that transforms home-grown cotton into luxurious, made-in-America linens and loungewear. This is an intimate look at how one family’s dedication to tradition and quality brings the warmth of Southern hospitality into every home.
Can you tell us about the origins of Red Land Cotton and how the idea for a farm-to-home linen company came about?
My Dad, Mark Yeager, has been farming cotton since the early 80s. He’s had a front-row seat watching the textile manufacturing industry slowly disappear across the US. He’s also watched cheap imports come into our country and watched his cotton be shipped overseas for processing. He has always been frustrated with the how a farmer gets paid for his cotton and how little textile workers get paid for their part in production, too. It was a culmination of all these inputs that brought him to the idea of starting Red Land Cotton — a farm direct textile business. He brought the idea to me over the holidays in 2015. I am a graphic design major from Auburn University who had recently spent the last 3 years working in Advertising in New York, NY, and Nashville, TN. I had recently moved to Nashville as I married my college boyfriend, and he prepared to do his pharmacy residency in the Nashville area. I was completely unsatisfied with the work I was doing in Nashville, and this seemed like a challenge. So, as my husband was doing his residency, I worked my job and worked on building Red Land Cotton on the side. In May of 2016, I quit my job and in October of we had our first product in hand.
What sets Red Land Cotton apart from other linen brands on the market?
Red Land Cotton is unique in that our family manages the supply chain from the seed in the ground to the final stitch sewn. For example, if you visit us this Fall, you will see our headquarters right across the road from our farm and the cotton gin. Inside our building, we retail, warehouse, pick, pack, and ship orders, AND we will also be cutting and sewing our bedding all in one location. What other brand can you point to that is able to show you that level of transparency in their product? Of course, our next identifier is that we are 100% American made. From the farm to yarn spinning, to weaving, finishing, and cut and sew — it’s all done here in the USA.
How does being a family-run business influence the day-to-day operations of Red Land Cotton?
Being family-owned is a unique element of our business right now. We are personally invested in every step and every decision. My two younger brothers farm with my Dad, and my sister-in-law is my warehouse manager. We are all heavily invested in the dream that is Red Land Cotton.
Could you share some insights into the journey of cotton cultivation on your family farm in North Alabama? How did the farm begin?
My grandfather, Dallas Yeager, purchased the original farm property when my Dad was a young kid. Dallas moved the family there so they could learn the value of hard work. He was a Depression-era kid and a WW2 veteran and wanted his kids to learn hard work and perseverance on a farm, even though his own personal business was in Huntsville, Alabama. Out of 6 children, my dad was the only one interested in farming. He began with small pieces of land and slowly grew his farm business. He, with my brothers, now farms over 5,000 acres, and over 3,500 of that is planted in cotton this year. He says he likes cotton because it has a personality and isn’t an “easy” crop. He jokes that anyone can grow cotton, grain, etc., but cotton needs love and attention. We try to share that with our customers and followers on social media. Sometimes we take agriculture for granted because it’s more and more uncommon on the roadsides and in our communities. There is a lot of education that needs to be done for people to understand the commitment a farmer makes every year to get his crop in the ground.
What are some of the challenges and rewards of sourcing materials directly from your own farm for production?
The challenge is in the cost of making such a custom product and the limited resources to do it with. It was a challenge for us to put together our supply chain in the US for many reasons. The most glaring reason is that many mills that might have entertained an idea like ours have shut their doors over the last 30-40 years. For example, there are only 2-3 mills in the US that weave a cloth wide enough to make a bed sheet and only 2 finishers in the US that will finish wide enough to make bedding. The second reason is the custom nature of sourcing a product you want to be made with only your fiber. If we were only going to source a domestic fabric, that might be easier but we are working with spinners, weavers, knitters and finishers daily to make our product. That level of attention and special allocation of resources makes our product more expensive.
What does being “Made in America” mean to you, and how does it resonate with your customers?
Being “Made in America” is a true source of pride for us and it’s the reason our customers shop with us (aside from the fact they love our products too). We like to say we are keeping the American dream alive by putting together a community of patriots who want to keep the textile industry in the USA. If people like us do not act, these factories will continue to shutter, and jobs will continue to be lost.
As I mentioned, it very difficult to make a product here due to limited resources. I’ve heard over and over about how EASY it would be to make these products overseas. It’s frustrating to hear that because I want to offer my customers all the fun colors, styles and patterns they want to see from us. However, at the same time, it strengthens my resolve to build a brand grounded in American manufacturing and prove it can be done and, most importantly, done well.
👉You’ll find the second part of this interview in our Summer 2024 issue. It’s available to read through our Front Porch Life subscription. When you subscribe, you immediately gain access to our past issues!
© Front Porch Life Magazine photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder
