By John McCurry
Delta Farm Press
A burgeoning denim manufacturing operation, near the bank of the Mississippi in eastern Louisiana, is gradually making a name for itself producing fabric for boutique jeans brands around the U.S. Vidalia Mills is a vertical operation, using BASF’s e3 cotton as its primary raw material.
Vidalia management purchased a massive former Fruit of The Loom distribution center during the second half of 2018, converted portions of it to manufacturing operations and began producing denim in 2019. Located in the eponymous small town across the river from Natchez, Miss., Vidalia sources cotton from producers stretching from Texas to the Carolinas.