Spring time

In 1847, the eider became a fully protected species in Iceland. Every spring before nesting season we build some shelter and rebuild some who have broke down over the winter. We make some new nests and fix the old ones and put a dry hay in to it for the birds. If the birds like the nesting area they can come to the same place year after year.

From nest to duvet

A unique relationship has developed between farmers and eiders in Iceland. This wild bird has learned to trust people and know the farmer will not do them any harm. We pick the down from the nest and never touch the birds. After the bird leaves the nest the down would just blow away. The down is dried immediately after gathered and cleaned in machines specially designed for eiderdown. It is heated up to 115-122°C for 24 hours to sterilize the down and make it easier to clean. During this process we only use green renewable energy.  Last feather and straws are removed by hand and  at the end of this process our eiderdown has at least 98% purity. Finally the eiderdown is hand washed in a warm water using special soap for down and dried in a warm air.

Quality Control

Authorized quality inspectors ensure that buyers of Icelandic eiderdown always receive a high quality product. An inspector assesses the down’s cleanliness, smell, color and cohesion and then confirms its weight. According to Icelandic law, only eiderdown that has passed this strict quality control may be sold in Iceland or exported. When our customers have chosen fabric, size and filling we order the quality control that weight and examine the down before we put the down into the duvet and make a quality certificate and seal the duvet.

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