Sandersville, GA |

A Georgia company is closing the loop on cotton production—and making sure the benefits stay right here at home. Magnolia Loom, based in Sandersville, is turning locally grown cotton into t-shirts made and printed entirely in the Southeast, giving farmers a direct connection to the products their crops help create.

“I started Magnolia Loom in 2021, with an idea of taking Georgia cotton and turning it into t-shirts,” says Zeke Chapman, co-owner. “We really wanted to find a way to add value to it locally and be able to connect the cotton farmers across the state to an end product they could touch and feel and see and be able to wear.”

Since its founding, Magnolia Loom has worked to shorten the supply chain dramatically—from 1,500 miles across multiple states to just 750 miles mostly within Georgia. The company now controls nearly every step of the process, from fiber to fabric to final print.

“We knew we had to start small and piece things together,” Chapman says. “But now we’ve made huge strides in being able to do what we do. Not only does it improve quality control, it helps us get product to market faster.”

That shorter supply chain also means more value stays in the state—something Chapman is especially proud of. At live events like the Georgia National Fair and Sunbelt Ag Expo, more than 90 percent of the garment’s value remains in Georgia, helping them pay farmers more per pound than the market typically allows.

“Cotton prices are probably around sixty cents a pound right now. We’re paying a dollar,” says Chapman. “It’s huge for these growers because it helps them stay sustainable and make a profit.”

That commitment to local agriculture is shared by co-owner Torey Rose, who says the mission has always been about more than t-shirts.

“Our farmers oftentimes don’t see significance in what they’re doing,” she says. “They’re not paid accordingly to the hard work they put in. We want to show them we value it—by turning that cotton into something meaningful and paying them fairly for it.”

As the business grows, the owners hope to move even more of the manufacturing in-house—right in Sandersville—while proving that keeping production in the U.S. isn’t just viable, it’s vital.

By: John Holcomb