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Sapona, established by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly in 1829, continues in a pioneering tradition to the textile industry. Operating continuously on the banks of the Deep River since 1836, Sapona was one of the first cotton mills in the south. The company name, Sapona, was taken from the Saponi Indian tribe that inhabited central North Carolina. The current owners purchased the company on March 18, 1916 and continued to produce cotton yarns until 1939 using Deep River waterpower. In 1936, we added silk yarn production. Our silk yarns were used in ladies full-fashioned hosiery. Having proven our quality capabilities in the production of cotton and silk yarns, Sapona was selected by DuPont as one of the initial companies to assist in developing Nylon when it was introduced in 1938. During World War II, we supplied vital Nylon yarns for military uses, such as parachute fabric and cord, glider tow rope and poncho fabric. Working from technical knowledge gained in early work with Nylon, we have been able to remain in the forefront of processors of this popular fiber. Today, the company uses state-of-the-art texturing machines that produce yarn of the finest quality anywhere. Sapona employees provide the energy that has driven the company over its long history. Many employees today are descendents of the people who helped build the company from the beginning. Our people know our product thoroughly and produce it efficiently. Their exceptional loyalty, special skills (enhanced through ongoing training), and pride in products enable us to consistently manufacture superior yarns, and in doing so, to earn our customers' confidence; they know our yarns perform as specified. In this pioneering spirit, Sapona continues to investigate new areas of technology and product. One of our new products is nylon air-covered spandex yarn precision wound and air entangled.