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Cascade Designs Limited History

Therm-a-Rest History

Though we originated in Seattle, Therm-a-Rest products have been sold internationally for over 30 years. In response to growing European demand, we opened a second manufacturing facility in Country Cork, Ireland in 1985.  After extensively touring Ireland, our founder John Burroughs discovered just what he was looking for in Midleton, on the outskirts of Cork City: an old 50,000 square foot, shut-down wool factory. That year, the building was transformed into the new Therm-a-Rest and Cascade Designs Limited European headquarters.

Despite being a relatively small town back in 1985, Midleton held a strong sense of community and family, which was an important aspect that drew the founders to the location. That sense of community is still felt throughout the factory today, with a number of past and current employees hailing from Midleton itself, or one of the smaller surrounding villages.

The very first shipment to CDL in 1985

From the first day of production, the (very small) team of employees felt immense pride to be working for a growing brand in a growing market. A number of those early employees have been with Therm-a-Rest ever since—a clear indication of their pride, expertise and dedication.

In 1985, production in Midleton began with only two mattress models. The machines were slow, heavy and had to be operated manually. As demand for the products grew across Europe, the factory footprint expanded to allow for more machinery and on-site warehousing. Staff headcount also increased, and manual manufacturing processes gave way to more efficient and more automated production. The brand was growing steadily in Europe; the founders’ faith in this small town was paying off!

To meet the demand on a much wider scale, a centralised distribution warehouse was opened in mainland Europe to create a network for shipping product across the continent with ease and efficiency.

Throughout this period of expansion, the core Therm-a-Rest brand values remained centrally important to the European business. The high-quality standards set in Seattle were mirrored in Midleton; it was unusual to find more than two mattresses in one shift that didn’t meet the grade!

Repairability was one core philosophy set down by John Burroughs. As such, Midleton opened its very own warranty centre within the factory, in order to better serve the European customers. Moreover, it also allowed them to control and manage the repair process far more efficiently. To this day, our warranty teams in both Midleton and Seattle continue to deliver repair work to an incredibly high standard, and are integral to the brand’s ongoing success.

Over the years Cascade Designs and Therm-a-Rest have become a hugely important part of the Midleton community. While we may never supplant the town’s claim to fame as the home of Jameson Whiskey, we are content to be an integral local employer! We feel pride at the exceptional growth of our European facility over the years, and look forward to doing what Therm-a-Rest does best here in Midleton for years to come.