A collage of photos from Darn Tough's Vermont mills through the yearsA collage of photos from Darn Tough's Vermont mills through the years

A Tough History

20 years ago, desperate and on the verge of losing the family business, we started Darn Tough Vermont.

A collage of images, including Ric and Marc Cabot at the mill and the knitting machinesA collage of images, including Ric and Marc Cabot at the mill and the knitting machines

Humble Beginnings

In 1989, our founder Ric Cabot left a publishing job to work alongside his father Marc at Cabot Hosiery Mills in Northfield, VT. Ric was 25 years old.

Tight Knit Family

The third generation of his family to work in the sock business, Ric started on the knitting floor making minimum wage. Eventually becoming co-owner, Ric, with help from his father, opened a new Mill in Northfield, VT.

Ric, Marc, and a friend standing around plans for the new mill in Northfield
Two Darn Tough employees hard at work finishing socks

All or Nothing

When manufacturing jobs moved offshore, desperation set in. Forced to lay off workers, the family business was failing. Behind on loans and saddled with debt, the Cabots took out third mortgages just to keep the lights on.

Rows of Merino Wool yarn cones overlaid with images of early Darn Tough workRows of Merino Wool yarn cones overlaid with images of early Darn Tough work

Darn Tough

Ric's idea: We stay in Vermont and double down on manufacturing. We knit a premium, longer-lasting sock right here, backed by the industry's first Lifetime Guarantee.
Closeup look at the inner workings of a Darn Tough knitting machine as it makes a sock

A Running Start

In 2004, we knit Darn Tough's first ever sock, handing out 3,500 pairs at the Vermont City Marathon. It was a Hail Mary with no marketing, backed by a promise: if you can wear out our socks, we'll replace them for free.

Darn Right

The Hail Mary worked. Customers experienced the durability of our Merino Wool socks, and demand grew. Darn Tough — backed by our Lifetime Guarantee — expanded to larger retailers and US military contracts.

A stack of Darn Tough tactical socks, knit for the military and Berry Compliant
A collage of hiking photos, showing the Appalachian Trail, backpacks, and the Hiker Micro CrewA collage of hiking photos, showing the Appalachian Trail, backpacks, and the Hiker Micro Crew

#1 Hike Sock in the USA*

Our 1466 Hiker Micro Crew set the bar for hikers then... and now. Knit to withstand the conditions hikers often face, this sock put us on the map.

*According to 2024 Circana data.

Vermont Strong

Vermont isn't just where we knit socks... it's who we are. We invest in our home state by hiring local, donating to the Vermont Foodbank, and through expansion — e.g. reviving the old Nantanna Mill and opening a new Mill in Waterbury.

A row of brand new knitting machines getting set up at Darn Tough's 2nd Mill in Waterbury
Shots from the Darn Tough Mills, including the wall that proclaims "we have yet to produce our best sock"Shots from the Darn Tough Mills, including the wall that proclaims "we have yet to produce our best sock"

Our Best Socks Yet

20 years later, we're still improving. But we've accomplished a lot: like knitting the first sock for steel-toed boots, upping our Snow category with the Function X, and using warranty data to update our Light Hiker.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to create the world's best socks, here in Vermont, USA, backed by our Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee.

"We make one thing, and we make it better than anyone else."

— Ric Cabot

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