When German sock maker Max Lindner proudly opened the Lindner Strumpf Fabrik factory in 1921 in Chemnitz, the town of Crookwell would have been the furthest thing from his mind.
But it's where his great-grandson Andrew runs Lindner Socks out of today and the business has just won the Australian Made Small Business Excellence category at the Australian Rural Business Awards in June.
They also finished third in the Retailers Excellence and Excellence in e-Commerce categories.
They also finished third in the Retailers Excellence and Excellence in e-Commerce categories.
The family-run operation is a continuation of parents Wilfred and Gisela Lindner who brought vintage machines over from Germany in 1987, opening a store in Goulburn before relocating to Crookwell.
But that isn't where the story begins. Andrew is a 10th generation hosiery/sock maker with the family able to trace a fine (wool) tradition stretching back to 1730.
When Max put that knowledge to good use with the factory, the seeds were planted for a family dynasty and by the 1960s his grandson Wilfred had himself taken up the trade.
The factory continued to grow, supplying the victorious West German team with their socks for the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
After splitting the business with brother Reinhard in 1986, Wilfred and Gisela swapped Germany for Goulburn.
It's this heritage that will always be a part of the business according to Lucy, who handles marketing and branding.
"When his parents first came to Australia in the 1980s they specifically picked Goulburn because they wanted that sheep growing, cold country that was a nice distance from capital cities," she explained to the Post.
"We definitely always want to stick with heritage. At the moment our vintage machines are ticking on beautifully, Andy keeps them well maintained."
The machines date back to the 1960s and 70s and are fully mechanical, taking merino wool from the Southern Tablelands to create socks that are fast becoming the standard as seen by Lindner's recent win.
Lucy said they were humbled by the award and said people had rediscovered an appreciation for Australian made goods post-COVID.
"It was pretty awesome," she said.
"We were so excited to get a place in a couple of the categories and then when we won in the Australian made category it was awesome. We were very humbled.
"The support for Australian made is awesome. People [are] recognising the quality and supporting small business."
Lindner wasn't the only business from the region named as a finalist with Bannaby-based Rubywood Laundry Whiffs finishing as runner-up for 2022 Indigenous Business of the Year and Gunning's Bandicute nominated for the Excellence in e-Commerce category.
