Our Journey

Same attitude. Farther places.

Gone Country Hat Co. was built on a simple idea: a hat should last as long as the life you wear it in. Shading you on the job, at the arena, or on the porch at the end of the day, our hats are made to go the distance. We back every one we sell with a lifetime warranty.

2003

Open the Doors

Crowd in cowboy hats at an outdoor concert, under a stage banner reading Good Music, Good People, Great Hats

Keith and Judy founded Gone Country in 2003, selling hats at music festivals across the country. They listened to every customer who tried one on, and they designed the next hats around what those customers asked for.

2008

Established GC Factory

Front of the Gone Country hat factory in Mexico with the GC logo on the gate

In 2008, Keith and Judy opened their own factory in Mexico, bringing production in-house and giving Gone Country the capacity to build hats at scale.

2020

Online Growth

Laptop showing the Gone Country online store with the words Same Attitude, New Horizons

When COVID shut down live events in 2020, Keith and Judy moved the business online. The storefront changed. The way we treat customers did not: what matters to you still matters to us.

2022

Wholesale Growth

Two people shaking hands in front of a row of cowboy hats

In 2022, Gone Country brought on J. Marc Bailey to build and run its wholesale program. The division grew quickly under his lead and built lasting relationships with retailers and dealers around the world.

J. Marc later stepped into the COO role, and in 2025 he led the move from one factory to two, so production no longer depends on a single location. A factory in the USA now produces our premium wool and fur hats, while the Mexico factory continues to build our straw, palm, and wool hats.

2026

Global Growth

Map of Australia with the Gone Country Hat Co. Australia Wholesale logo

In 2026, we opened Gone Country Australia, our first location outside the United States. Australians know a well-made hat when they see one, and the market has been strong for us from the start. More countries and regions are already part of the plan.

2026

Fur Felt

Gone Country now offers American-made open-crown and unfinished fur felt, graded 20X, 50X, and 100X pure beaver.

We also set an honest standard for the X. At Gone Country, the number means exactly what it says: on our beaver felt, 20X is 20% beaver, 50X is 50%, and 100X is 100% pure beaver.

Built right. Fits right. Backed for life.®

More Country Ahead.