We truly love making quality products that make people feel good. Unfortunately, purchasing the best possible product isn't easy these days. Many manufacturers are concerned about hitting a lower price point and in order to do that you must reduce quality.

Enter the American Blanket Company, a business built on values, not to mention the highest quality product available in the market today, and sold directly to the consumer. Even if you are determined, it is difficult to find a product sold at a retail store that is made by an American Company. (certainly a blanket)

Today a simple daily joy is watching my 8-month old smile when she brings one of her plush blankets to her face, or when she dives face first into a pile of soft Luster Loft™ fabric. And then there's the inevitable blanket tug-o-war while my 7 year-old and 4 year-old watch a movie together, or the times when the two of them grab a blanket from the couch and take it out on the grass for a little picnic.

People often ask, "How do you make the fabric so soft? They tell me how the light weight softness actually allows them to have a better night's sleep. I have countless stories of how our Peaceful Touch™ fleece blankets and Luster Loft™ plush blankets have made a difference to a mood, a sickness, or someone confined to a hospital bed. The ability to create a product that can take an individual from the stress of a hectic day and return them to a place of relaxation and comfort has brought me back into the blanket business.

The people of the American Blanket Company are proud of what we produce. We make the highest quality products using only the finest materials. Uncompromising quality that stands the test of time, the way things used to be made here in America.

We're proud of who we are. We employ American workers in our small Fall River Massachusetts shop. We believe in one another, and we all have a common goal. Design, Cut, Sew, Package and Distribute the best blankets we can. Proudly place our label in each blanket and not be ashamed of what we stand for. We may not become the largest blanket producer in the world, but we can confidently hold our head high and know with every blanket we produce in the USA we will be supporting an American worker. This makes us all feel good!

There is nothing more gratifying than building a product that makes people feel good.

In the Fall of 1964, my father bought a small garment maker in an old mill on the banks of the Ware River in Ware, Massachusetts, and for the better part of the next thirty years, he produced women's clothing under his own name while contracting for some of the industry's better brands. Dad's was some of the finest women's apparel made in the USA.

Growing up, I spent many afternoons in the factory. When I was eight, I'd sweep the floors around sewing machines and cutting tables strewn with thread and fabric cuttings, all for a piece of candy from the women at the sewing machines. Eventually, I'd work my way up to Spreader in the cutting department, learning the essentials of quality fabrics and their construction.

But by the mid 1980s, much of the higher-volume apparel production was being sent overseas, and Dad's shop would soon close.

Fast-forward to 1990, when I would start a small contract cutting company of my own. One day in 1993, a fleece fabric came into the shop to be made into a pullover top. My sister was in the shop on break from law school and asked if she could cut some of the fabric to give as a blanket to her boyfriend. Big idea.

Soon after, I cut a Fleece Throw sample and arranged a meeting at a large mass merchant retailer in Massachusetts. The buyer purchased 3,600 pieces right then and there, and Berkshire Blanket was born.

With my brother, sister, an old family friend and countless committed employees, we formed a company built on quality, pride, thoughtfulness and respect. Our small shop grew from its 3,000-square-foot location on the 4th floor of Dad's mill to more than 250,000 square feet of production and warehouse space in five different mill buildings in the town of Ware. By the year 2000, we had over 150 employees and produced blankets for seven of the top ten retailers in the country.

Once again, however, we were faced with the dilemma of import products taking our spot in the lifecycle of a family business. This time, we decided to beat the rush and found some wonderful partners in Asia who helped us continue to grow Berkshire Blanket to what it is today. Were it not for these partners whom I hold in high regard, we would have completely closed our mill back in 2000.

Six years later we found another great partner who purchased Berkshire Blanket and they continue to run the much beloved brand to this day.

With pride,
Rick Lotuff, Founder