MADE IN SWEDEN

MADE IN Sweden Text: Anna Kernell

Skier: Morten Grape Photo: Sofia Wester Sjöberg

In times of intense globalisation, goods 'made in Sweden' seem much more exotic. At the same time, interest in locally produced items is growing. Microbreweries are popping up all over the place, and the demand for locally produced food is rocketing. Nowadays, we’re also happy to dress in, and equip ourselves with, Swedish-made products.

Domestic manufacturing often means unique opportunities for brands when it comes to ensuring quality, evaluating products, and following them up. It also leads to fewer links in the production chain, which in turn means less strain on the environment.

This also, however, brings great challenges. Hooked takes a closer look at three Swedish outdoor brands that have been successful at home.

Trangia The portable stove from up north Half of all outdoor enthusiasts in the Nordics own or have owned a Trangia stove. Even if they don't currently own one, most Swedes probably still remember when their parents took the whole set out and put it together, to make coffee or instant mashed potato on a childhood trip to the forest. Trangia has become synonymous with quality and reliability: a portable stove that works in all situations, for both families with children and the discerning adventurer. So it's no surprise that the company has been a leader in the Swedish portable stove industry for generations. They’re even based in the same place where it all started: a small village in the middle of Jämtland province. Let’s go back almost a century. At that time, John E. Jonsson lived in the village of Trång, and was passionate about technology and design. So much so that he said goodbye to the farming life and instead founded Trangia in 1925, together with his father-in-law. They started producing durable household goods made of aluminium, for home use. As more and more workers in the 1930s were given time off work to take holidays, the demand for camping equipment increased and John and his father-inlaw decided to switch focus. Their first camping set came to the market in 1935, and was given the name 'no. 24'. It consisted of a set of pots, plates, cups, coffee pan and frying pan for two people and cost 11 SEK to buy. Sixteen years later, John, along with his two sons, launched the first prototype of a complete cooking system that used liquid fuel. Over the years, the stove has been optimised and the details modernised. In the 60s you could get the frying pan in a non-stick version, in the 70s the handles got air holes and in the 80s a gas burner was introduced as an option. Even today, however, the original design is key to the outdoor cooking set's success. That 70s portable stove will still be fully usable even if you’re missing a part or two – you don't need to discard the entire set. The new parts manufactured today work just as well with the old stoves. Both the company and the wealth of its inventions have been passed down from generation to generation. Trangia is still family-owned today and in the same village with all

production under one roof. Of course, one might think it's a bit remote up there in central Sweden. After you've passed the nearest town of Östersund, it’s still several hours before the next one. However, it's near what matters. Practical testing in harsh weather conditions becomes a natural part of everyday business when you're out in the middle of the wilderness with the Jämtland Trangia mountains around the corner. From a rural perspective, it's advantageous if companies Product: aluminium portable stove choose to stay and create Founded: 1925 jobs, which in smaller Where: Trångsviken, Jämtland province communities would otherwise become increasingly rare. Even Trangia itself has grown hugely in the last few years. In 2017 they had around 20 employees, and today there are around 80. That's quite a lot in a village of only 266 people. Many of you reading this will have never heard of the village of Trång before. And even those who have heard of it might not have known that Trangia comes from there. However, sometimes the bond between a place and a company is so strong that the connection is obvious. The local connection is so clear that the good reputation of one spreads to the other, and vice versa.

Malin Bergman, systems administrator and project leader at Trangia

What do you think the benefits are in keeping production local? – Mainly that we’re so close to where everything happens. The office is in the factory, so decisions can be made quickly. We can go from ideas to action in no time and can easily change production if something needs to be fixed. If we need new any tools, we can also manufacture them here on site.

Is there anything you don’t manufacture on site? – We produce everything ourselves except the small parts made of plastic, such as the Multidisc, the fuel canister itself and the canister cap. We buy in these parts, but if we can buy them locally, we do. For example, our new T-Spoon and the cap for the canister both come from Essge-Plast in Östersund. We plan to have that plant carry out even more of our production in the future.

– If we can’t buy locally, we at least buy Swedish products. Our multifuel and gas burners, for example, are manufactured for us by Primus. You could even say that we are Primus’ biggest customer.

– The only things we don’t manufacture ourselves or buy in Sweden are our fabric cases. We buy those, and only those, from China.

Oskar Eriksson, buyer at Addnature

What's the ultimate Morakniv knife? – I'd say the Eldris Neck Knife Kit. It's small, flexible and comes with a fire starter. Usually, you don't need more than a small, simple knife, so in most situations I choose to take this one with me.

Knives out

Real Champagne always comes from the Champagne region in France, and the same is true for Morakniv – the knives are all made in Mora. Also, it couldn't have escaped anyone's attention that they′re manufactured here in Sweden, all the knife blades are stamped 'Made in Sweden'.

In the area around Mora, this 400-year-old tradition of knife making lives on. Originally, knives were produced by hand, but as the 19th century came to an end, factories took over. That's where the long and interesting story of one of the world's most successful knife manufacturers begins.

In 1891, a man named Frost-Erik Erson founded a vehicle factory that manufactured sleighs and wagons in the village of Östnor, outside Mora. It wasn’t a time of plenty, and carefully managing resources was part of everyday life. True to the frugal spirit of that era, these knives were made from leftover material for use in the workshop. Over time, the knives became a sought-after items for bartering among travelling farm traders, and so they spread across the country with them. It wasn't long before Morakniv became a well-established brand among craftsmen and manual workers, and over time also among wholesalers and hardware dealers in Europe. This encouraged Frost-Erik to change direction and turn his full attention to knife manufacturing.

In the years that followed, more people in the area started producing knives. These included a former employee of Frost's, Krång Johan, who was fired after a disagreement with the management. Having many manufacturers in a small town inevitably led to fierce competition, but the rivalry also kept them on their toes and trying to excel, which resulted in a great selection of knives for a growing world market. Even though the manufacturers had to fight for

both labour and a market share, they also shared a sense of belonging, a feeling that’s remained over the years. The socalled Östnorsandan (Östnor vibe), where companies help each other through ups and downs, can still be found in the area today. Over time, many acquisitions took place among Östnor’s knife producers, and by the end of the 80s, Krång Johan's and Frost's factories had merged into one. An entire century of competition, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, finally under one roof. In 2016, the family company, which is still owned by Krång Johan's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, changed its name to Morakniv AB. You might wonder how Morakniv has managed to stay at the top, making world-class products for so many years. What makes Morakniv stand out? Yes, of course the company offers a winning combination of user-friendly knives, with awesome performance and a lifetime guarantee, at a fair prices. In fact, how to treat, harden and sharpen this unique steel is still a wellkept secret. If you dig a little deeper, though, you'll see Morakniv that part of the answer is in how Morakniv has chosen to stay in Mora and make good Product: steel knives use of the resources and Founded: 1891 skills that have existed in the Where: Östnor, Dalarna province area for centuries. Perhaps they've also been shaped by the fierce competition between the various knife manufacturers that has long simmered under the surface. Even today, the company stays up to date with the industry and constantly strives for improvement. When developing new knives, they get help from product ambassadors who get to test the knives in their daily work and provide feedback. Everyone from woodworkers, craftsmen and outdoor chefs, to famous names in wilderness medicine, bushcraft and survival technology, provides invaluable information from real-world use, about what works and what needs improving.

Warmth from the north

Even if local production comes with many advantages, it also brings great challenges. One of these is cost. It's much cheaper to manufacture outside Sweden, and often the further away, the cheaper. The cost of a textile worker in Sweden is equal to to approximately 30 textile workers in Bangladesh, for example. However, for those who give a damn about defying the odds, there's still hope.

Not many people know that Sweden's largest sewing factory is in Östersund. Or that it might soon be Sweden's only one. Unfortunately, that's just how it is. On the upside, Woolpower is growing extremely fast. The company currently has 130 employees and next year a newly built factory of 10,000 square meters will be ready.

Originally called Vinetta, the company was started in 1969 in Östersund as a project initiated by the Cooperative Association to create jobs in Norrland. Back then it manufactured nylon socks.

In the early 1970s, together with the Swedish Armed Forces, the company developed the Ullfrotté Original material. The defence industry needed low-maintenance underwear which would keep wearers warm in the coldest conditions. The material was a great success. In the years that followed, under the new name Ullfrotté, the company specialised in creating more functional products from the same material. That could withstand extreme weather conditions, sudden weather changes and more intense activities.

The company began to take bigger steps into the international market and in 2006, changed its brand name to Woolpower.

When dealing with wool, it's difficult, if not impossible, to keep the whole production chain within Sweden, as conditions just aren't good enough. Unfortunately, there aren't enough sheep here with the wool quality required to manufacture underwear on a large scale, nor enough cleaning plants, dyes or spinning mills to be able to deliver the amount of yarn at the quality that's needed.

The wool Woolpower uses therefore comes from merino sheep in Uruguay and the Argentine part of Patagonia. There's a long tradition of sheep breeding there, and it's worth supporting, as sheep farming plays an important role in maintaining Patagonia's sensitive landscape and natural flora. Without the sheep, the land would be quickly depleted of its nutrients. When they’re allowed to roam freely on large grazing areas, it not only benefits nature to the landscape, but also helps create jobs in the countryside. After the wool has become yarn and arrives in Östersund, however, everything else happens under one roof. This goes from product development and sewing, through to packaging and sales. The yarn is used to make the unique Ullfrotté material and after preparation, the textile workers take over. Each garment is sewn by the same person from Woolpower beginning to end. When the garment is finished, the worker checks it, Produces: merino wool clothing and then sews in a label with Founded: 1969 Where: Östersund, Jämtland province their name on it. The label serves as a sign of quality, and also as a way to draw attention to the person and the skilled work that′s gone into garment.

Jenny Odqvist Kristensson, product manager at Woolpower

What are the biggest advantages of having production in Östersund? – The reason we′ve chosen to keep all production in Östersund is the dedication of the employees, which is crucial for Woolpower. Here in the north, people also have a great knowledge about how to dress in cold, harsh weather. This improves our credibility as we manufacture products whose main purpose is to keep people warm. Also, Östersund invests in fostering good conditions for entrepreneurship, with a strong drive and forward-thinking spirit, and which also has a proenvironmental and sustainability attitude that's in line with ours. That's why it feels right for us to keep production here and contribute to increased growth and employment opportunities in the municipality.

What are the biggest challenges? – Since textile production in Sweden has traditionally existed in and around Borås and Sjuhäradsbygden, but not in northern Sweden, our biggest challenge has been in finding expertise. Industrial garment workers and mechanical engineers aren’t so easy to find here, so in-house training has been crucial. People who have moved to Sweden and have sewing expertise (among other knowledge) have also brought their valuable skills to the company.