Meet Bethany Evans-Brown | Company Owner & Creative Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bethany Evans-Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bethany, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
The most important lesson I’ve learned from Woolberry has been to allow myself the space to create. The space to push my limits. The space to become. When I started Woolberry 4 years ago, I was (quite frankly) just burnt out on life. My husband and I had moved back to the States from living overseas in New Zealand and I didn’t really have any direction. So, on a whim, I decided to start this whole thing. I decided to take a risk and a chance. I decided for probably the first time in my life, that I could do something and make something of myself. Woolberry gave me my voice – both artistically and in normal life. Now, 4 years later with the addition of 2 children, and 3 employees running the business alongside my husband – I look back and see not just how much Woolberry has grown in that time, but also how much I’ve grown as a person because I allowed myself the freedom to create.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
At the core of our company is always to bring yarn to our customers that is inspired by this beautiful thing we call, life. We are always innovating with new fibers, new dyeing techniques, and honestly just fun products that help bring joy to people’s lives. I would say the thing I am most excited about is expanding our US grown and spun yarn line. We are working closely with some incredible ranchers across the US to bring unique fibers to our customers that are sustainably sourced and helps keep the wool industry in America alive. The road to success in the fiber world is tricky because it’s a fairly niche market with a lot of other companies selling similar products. All of our marketing is done via Instagram, so making yourself seen in amongst the crowd can be tricky. The key for us was building a tight knit community. Not just a list of customers who follow us and buy our product, but people who we chat to and who know our family, know our story and want to support that. What do I want the world to know about Woolberry, about us? Well, that your dream isn’t really all that far off. We started Woolberry with a few hundred dollars, an Instagram account, and a hope and prayer that this thing would work. Now we’re set to have our most profitable year yet set to clear half a million in revenue because we’re passionate about our product, about our community, and the world needs that. We need passionate, zealous creatives.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s easy – a quick stop through Denver to visit all of my favorite coffee shops – Little Owl Coffee, Huckleberry Roasters, and Blue Sparrow and then a stop over at Beet Box for some vegan treats. After that, we are heading straight towards the mountains – specifically, Breckenridge! This will always be one of my favorite places to bring friends and family. The shops, the gondola, the food! We would definitely stop by Unravel Coffee for an iced Oatmilk latte and then head over to Piante Pizzeria for a vegan pepperoni pizza and garlic knots. A hike through the Lower Sawmill and Snowflake Trail Loop and then end the trip with a relaxing gondola to the top of the mountain. And if we had time, a quick stop in Boulder to have a scoop of Gelato Boy – truly the best vegan gelato I’ve ever had. So yeah, basically we would just eat and enjoy the outdoors because isn’t that what’s great about Colorado?!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Woolberry would not be where it is without the support of my husband, Rhys. He has been the backbone of this company from day 1 – working long hours in construction to come home and help me dye yarn until 11pm just to wake up the next morning and head off to work and now he does all of the dyeing while I oversee the company. He truly is a gem.

Website: woolberryfiberco.com
Instagram: woolberryfiberco

Image Credits
Photos by Sam Ann