Bringing quality Navajo-Churro wool processing home
Shimá's Rainbow Fibers represents a unique opportunity to establish a vertically integrated, worker-owned wool processing facility to the heart of Four Corners wool production.
Shimá's Rainbow Fibers will operate from a 3,000 square foot facility in Gallup, New Mexico, processing raw Navajo-Churro fleece into premium weaving yarns. The mill will be intentionally visible to visitors, creating an immersive fiber arts destination experience that celebrates the living tradition of weaving in the Four Corners region.
What we Will do
Our mill will process up to 35 pounds of fiber per day. We will select fleeces for quality and color. We will process them to bring out the unique strength and luster of this heritage breed. The mill will handle the full process from fleece to yarn
Why A Mini-Mill?
We will achieve big things by starting small. The mini-mill concept allows us to align our funding needs with the available funding support, facilities, and workforce. We hope to grow large, but we want to align that growth with community needs and resources.
We have a site.
Our initial mill will be housed in a retail space in historic downtown Gallup, NM. The building has a full basement that is dry and usable for storage.
We Have a Plan
Our business plan envisions pre-production and buildout in 2026, with production starting in February 2027.
We Are Building a Mill and a Community
We are opening a community funding round through GoFundMe that allows anyone to invest in our project. This includes our customers, fans, friends, and family. The funds raised will cover the incorporation fees, equipment down payment, and site down payment. All contributors will be part of our community and will receive regular updates on our progress to production!