Fourbital Factory: Bringing Conscious, Quality, and Custom Beanies to Vermont

If you asked Carey Strobeck, co-founder of Fourbital Factory, what Fourbital’s mission is, she might say, "We bring every idea to life—from conception to completion—all under one roof here in Vermont," which is true. But beyond manufacturing high-quality custom beanies, Fourbital Factory is a movement.

For over two centuries, New England commanded innovative textile manufacturing. Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut all housed mills and factories producing some of the finest garments in the country. Manufacturing textiles for local and domestic consumption, New Englanders developed skills and innovation, all while earning and circulating money within their community. Fourbital COO, Jordan Sears, values the Northeast’s rich textile history: “Sewing is in my Vermont genes,” she proudly recognizes.

In tandem with many other goods-manufacturing industries, textile factories in New England moved overseas throughout the 20th century as companies searched for cheaper labor with fewer regulations. And while most textile-manufacturing facilities closed their doors, they left behind a potent legacy of craftsmanship, creativity, and skill.

Meet Founders Carey Strobeck and Jordan Sears

Inspired by her mother’s and grandmother’s expertise in garment creation, Strobeck developed a deep appreciation for quality textiles, clothing, and design from an early age. As an athlete in the 1990s, she witnessed firsthand the development of women’s athletic wear and its potential as a tool for empowerment. Her background in arts fostered her creativity, all uniting to ignite a dream of creating versatile, ethically made apparel.

Jordan Sears, a fifth-generation Vermonter, first exercised her entrepreneurial spirit from her UVM dorm room, starting a small neck warmer operation. Friendship began when 19-year-old Sears met Strobeck while teaching her children competitive ski racing, and progressed into a partnership in 2021, when their shared passion for garment manufacturing, movement, outdoor sports, and Vermont pride hatched Fourbital Factory.

"Carey and I realized it was up to us to redefine what it means to create consciously and produce locally—to bring apparel production back home and build it from the ground up," says Sears.

In the wake of declining domestic manufacturing, Strobeck and Sears saw an opportunity. “We’re trying to solve a problem. There’s not a lot of manufacturing—not in Vermont in particular,” Strobeck explains. After building a state-of-the-art textile manufacturing factory on Pine Street in Burlington, Vermont, Fourbital Factory began producing high-quality, American-made beanies and apparel, reviving the rich textile heritage of New England. Fourbital partners with businesses across the region that share a passion for quality, consciousness, and local production.

What We Do and Why We Care

Fourbital Factory specializes in high-quality, Vermont-made, custom beanies. Our ribbed knit and jacquard knit beanies were designed with durability, performance, and style in mind: ideal for businesses that want custom, responsibly made beanies.

The modern fashion industry is plagued by exploitative labor practices, synthetic materials derived from fossil fuels, and wasteful production. Fourbital Factory is committed to thinking about things differently, knowing we still have a long way to go. Beyond fair wages and safe working conditions, we train our employees in valuable skills, helping them express their creativity in new ways. We carefully select our materials based on rigorous criteria, striving to use natural fibers, post-consumer materials, and innovative semi-synthetics like Modal and Tencel wherever possible.

Reducing and reusing waste maximizes efficiency, so Fourbital invests in waste-reducing technology and repurposes leftover materials from manufacturing our custom beanies. This leftover waste is utilized as filling for floor poufs—cushions—also made at Fourbital.

When a brand, team, organization, or business comes to us with an idea, our team forms a personal, collaborative relationship where ideas, creativity, and innovation thrive. Due to Fourbital’s advanced custom beanie capabilities, we take possibilities and make them a reality, creating dynamic, vibrant, custom beanie designs with the best craftsmanship.

Our Vision

Fourbital Factory envisions a future where American-made apparel is the standard, not the exception. We foresee a bright tomorrow for domestic manufacturing and want to expand our mission even further. As we bolster our production capacity to meet the demand for high-quality, ethical fashion, explore new conscious materials and techniques, and generate skilled jobs in Vermont, we want to build a community of like-minded brands that share our commitment to local, conscious craftsmanship.