Used with permission
“For years, companies made all their beanies the same way – with a center seam across the top. That seam sits on top of the head and creates a pressure point that becomes irritating and painful after a few hours of wear.
“No one solved it. We did.”
That’s the story in a nutshell for Haakwear’s Hamound family. But that’s not the full story – which is quite inspiring and amazing.
H. Hamound came up with the idea of creating a new type of beanie after getting headaches from wearing the standard issue beanie supplied by the U.S. Army (he served for eight years).
“I’d wear the beanie under my helmet, but the elastic was tight, itchy, and gave me headaches,” he says. “I preferred a cold head to wearing the beanie, so I’d take it off.”
He realized during Covid that while the U.S. had all the resources and manpower, few companies were making product.
“Even face masks were made in China!” he says. “I talked to my brother and told him my idea about making a different type of beanie – one that doesn’t itch or use elastic. I also wanted it made here in the United States.”
The idea for a new type of beanie also tied in with family history; the Hamounds’ grandfather used to make beanies. In fact, the family still owned the knitting machines!
The brothers spent months making prototypes. They opened the knitting machines to learn how they worked, figured out how to make adjustments, then tried again.
They bought a new CNC machine in order to make parts that allowed them to modify the knitting machines. They gave away product in return for feedback and kept testing.
Used with permission
The result is the patented H-StitchTM Beanie, so named because it features an H configuration at its top. Instead of coming to a point at the top of the head, the H-Stitch Beanie rides low and smooth across the head for a comfortable fit under helmets and hard hats.
“We learned how to make a beanie that doesn’t use elastic,” says Hamound. “Instead, we use mechanical stretch, which is achieved through yarn construction and the weaving process.”
Instead of importing spun yarn, Haakwear sources the raw goods and then weaves the acrylic yarn in its Cleaveland, OH facility. Spinning yarn stateside means the company isn’t subject to tariffs, which helps keep prices down. And, they’re 100% in control of quality and construction.
From itchy head to Walmart supplier
The Hamounds started the company in 2020, and after three years of testing and prototyping, began production of 200 beanies a day.
Hamound purchased the company’s current 12,000 square foot building, located in Cleveland, Ohio in 2022. “I bought the building because I believed in my idea. I didn’t want a loan; I invested all I had into it. My family helped.”
To build word-of-mouth, the brothers attended an ASI tradeshow; the show attracts representatives from companies who come to look for new promotional products and other items. The people who approached the booth didn’t understand ‘Made in USA,’ but they liked the concept and began ordering.
Haakwear makes customized beanies for this segment of its customer base under its B2B manufacturing division, The Beanie Factory.
Business grew slowly but steadily. By 2025, the company was already outgrowing the building – when Walmart happened.
The Hamounds attended Walmart’s October 2025 Open Call, an annual event attended by hundreds of entrepreneurs from across the U.S. to pitch their ideas and products. Those who pass the company’s strict standards are awarded “Golden Tickets” – and the ability to sell to Walmart.
For the 2025 event, more than 500 companies from 47 states met at Walmart’s new corporate headquarters in Bentonville. Buyers from Walmart and Sam’s Club held over 750 meetings with companies on one day alone. At the end of the two days, Walmart issued more than 100 Golden Tickets.
Haakwear was one of those Golden Ticket winners.
Hamound’s vision: A beanie on every single person in the U.S.
Suffice to say, winning a Walmart Golden Ticket is a very big deal for Haakwear. The company has had to learn the Walmart system and processes – fast — as it’s Walmart’s goal to put the company’s traditional beanies in every cold city in five states by the end of November 2026.
According to Hamound, its classic beanies, with the company’s proprietary knitting techniques, will be in 1,200 stores, and on the Walmart website, under the brand name The Beanie Factory.
The H-Stitch Beanie is scheduled to appear in stores Fall 2028.
During our call, Hamound did a quick check: my Plaistow, NH store will carry the beanies. While I did order two H-Stitch Beanies from the Haakwear website, one for myself and one for my son, I can’t wait to see the classic version on the shelf!
I wondered if Haakwear had to change quality or processes to meet Walmart price point. Hamound explained their product price isn’t as high as most people think. The H-Stitch Beanies sell for $33 on the company website. Similar cuffed beanies by a big name brand company sell for $18 to $35 depending on style and material.
“It’s doable for us to make a high quality product with a relatively low price point,” he says. “We’re focused on value and building trust with our customers rather than high margins.”
He went on to add that the company pays their employees well because they want them to enjoy what they do, take pride in their jobs, and remain a part of the Haakwear family.
“I want people who wear our beanies to enjoy American craftsmanship, quality, and innovation at a great price,” he sums up. “If you order from the Haakwear website, your product goes out almost the same day. My goal is to have every person in the U.S. wearing one of our beanies – designed and sewn in the United States by American workers.”
Thank you, Mr. Hamound, for this fantastic story and interview!
If you live in Colorado, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and some parts of Arizona, you can find the company’s classic beanies at your local Walmart. Be sure to look for the Beanie Factory name + the Made In USA flag on the package!
About Open Call
Open Call is part of Walmart’s commitment “to purchase an incremental $350 billion in products made, grown or assembled in the U.S. by January 2031, a commitment estimated to help support more than 750,000 U.S. jobs.”
According to a statement from Walmart, the 2025 Golden Ticket winners “join the ranks of small businesses that comprise more than 60% of the retailer’s U.S. supplier base.”
Video from the Walmart Open Call press room.
Links
You can learn more about Haakwear’s products, or purchase your own H-Stitch Beanie, by visiting their website: www.haakwear.com
If you’re a company or organization, and want custom branded beanies, Classic or H-Stitch, visit The Beanie Factory, US.
Walmart Highlights U.S. Manufacturing and Small Business Growth at 2025 Open Call — Walmart News Release
Walmart’s Annual Open Call — Company Fact Sheet
“Walmart wraps up Open Call, hands out more than 100 golden tickets” — by Kim Souza, Talk Business and Politics, October 9, 2025
Full Disclosure
I’m not paid nor asked to write about products or the companies that make them. All links in this piece are FREE — meaning, they’re not sponsored or paid for.
My mission is to keep manufacturing jobs stateside and this blog is my way of giving back. We like to think a “small” choice, such as purchasing something made in the US, won’t make a difference. It does.
