Our history began in 1836 as one of the first cotton mills in the South. To this day, we have successfully operated on the banks of the Deep River. Our name is derived from an Indian tribe that used to inhabit most of central North Carolina. This tribe was known as the Sapona Indian Tribe.

The current owners, Universal Fibers Systems, purchased Sapona Manufacturing Company in May 2021 and formed it into Sapona Yarns. The previous owners purchased the company in March 1916 and used waterpower from the Deep River to produce Cotton until 1939.