Camano Capital will work with former owner Richard Sontag to expand the business into other categories.
“I hit 60 in March and realized my skill set was not current enough to grow this brand into what it can be,” he explained. “We stayed in our lane and did very well, but we sell only one category — cold-weather. We don’t even make gloves. I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t have a growth plan either. So I put it on the market.”
“I received a tremendous response,” Sontag said. “So I found a small group that understood what we stand for and can absolutely expand our offering while maintaining the integrity of the business.” She created the Turtle Fur company and expanded beyond neck warmers into hats and other accessories. When she retired in 2001, she sold the business to Sontag, who had a long history in a family-owned textile business called American Silk Label as well as with a fleece apparel and accessories brand call Nordic Gear. He combined Turtle Fur with Nordic Gear after the purchase.
Sontag wanted to do something and made a decision to start a nonprofit group and begin donating product. He called it Project Warmth and to date, Turtle Fur has given away more than 125,000 products to more than 350 organization in 49 states and three provinces in Canada to help people in need stay warm. “It really exploded on us,” Sontag said.