OUR MISSION

"Our mission is to design and make quality outdoor clothing inspired by Minnesota's Boundary Waters and other wild places. We strive to build community by relying on local labor, paying livable wages and giving generously."

OUR REASON FOR BEING

Support Small Town America-Ely, MN

Since 1987, Wintergreen has quietly nurtured the trend to "bring it home" -- 
to return the design and crafting of apparel from overseas factories to main street America.  Our shop is front and center in downtown Ely, famous as Minnesota's 'end of the road' northern border town. 

We stand proudly with the groundswell of small manufacturing businesses nationwide that are successfully revitalizing small-town America. We seek to build community by relying on local talent, paying living wages, and giving generously to the community. “Bring it home” also extends to our source materials: all of our fleece fabric is US-made.

Adventure Tested Performance

Wintergreen's roots lay in crafting clothing to meet the demands of our adventure pursuits, which have taken us to both ends of earth --the Arctic & Antarctic-- and many remote places in between. But the center of our universe is the Boundary Waters, the vast pristine lake-land forest that straddles the Minnesota-Ontario border. This, the world’s premiere canoe country and America’s “dogsledding capital,” is where we live, work and play. It is the inspiration for our designs and our year-round test lab.

Focus On Quality

Regardless of where your outdoor interests lie, you’ll find that Wintergreen Northern Wear will deliver exactly what we promise: quality, distinction, performance, and "Made in USA" pride.  Walk the talk with Wintergreen by wearing garments that are built to last and reflect commitment to core values and community.

Utilize Local Talent

Wintergreen Northern Wear relies entirely upon local talent. Our Wintergreen team is now over two dozen people strong and includes the founding family: Sue, Paul, Bria, Peter, & Berit Schurke. We value an engaging workplace to collaboratively craft the best possible garments.

Our passion for our product reflects our passion for our adventurous and beautiful Northwoods region and the renowned border town of Ely that we call home.

WHY BUY?

QUALITY DESIGN

We know what works. The outdoors is our way of life. We design, sew and sell our gear in Minnesota’s northern border wilderness. We began in 1985 by designing gear for our first expedition to the North Pole. Since then, we’ve explored just about every cold place on the planet, from Greenland to the Russian Arctic – all with our own gear. Serious field-testing.

QUALITY CONSTRUCTION

We make it ourselves, we sell it ourselves. Nothing is made overseas or sold to other retailers. Rolls of fabric come in the back of our shop and finished garments go out the front. We monitor quality every step of the way.

QUALITY FABRICS

We make our clothing with the best quality materials available. All fabrics are not created equal. As a result of our thorough testing we use only cutting-edge fabrics that perform as expected. No cheap imitations. Made in the USA. Buying cheap gear that survives only a few uses just serves to sustain a throw-away society dependent upon imported goods made by under-paid laborers. Wintergreen Northern Wear is built to last a lifetime by American workers earning sustainable wages. “Made in the USA” is more than just a label. It proudly reflects your support of quality products that support American families.