Darn Tough Sock Factory Tour

January 15, 2013 Steve Borchetta

Yesterday a couple of us, myself included, were lucky enough to get a tour of the Cabot Hosiery Mills - this is where they make Darn Tough Socks! What an impressive operation they have there! Going on this tour really hammered home the fact that Darn Tough Socks are my favorite to wear (and many other Outdoor Gear Exchange staffs' as well). And they are all made right here in good ol' Vermont! Our tour guide, Mark, was incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about the socks they make. His level of dedication and enthusiasm to the history of the mill, the founding of Darn Tough, the ongoing improvements and innovations being made, and the willingness to share all this information with us was wildly impressive to say the least. The day started with a detailed history of Cabot Hosiery. We learned how they went from making general all purpose socks that you can find in department stores to evolving into the home of the infamous Darn Tough Socks! Like most success stories, this is one of innovation, taking risks, doing things other people aren't, constant refining and tweaking, and an unprecedented attention to detail, quality, and craftsmanship. The folks at Darn Tough spend about 6 months just to design a new sock and then another 6 months to take it from prototype to production. I think this speaks volumes to the time spent planning, refining, designed, tweaking, and making sure that each sock will meet the high standards they have set on themselves. Take the photo tour below to see a day in the life of a sock!