It all started in the summer when, in the middle of the holidays, “from the age of 13 or 14”, they came to lend a hand, as did their parents, uncles and cousins. First secondary tasks: watching a machine, cleaning the floor, folding shoe boxes. Then they expanded their know-how, stayed on, took over the family business, the torch well in hand. Among the Kero, we are, from generation to generation, tanner of reindeer skin and manufacturer of shoes, warm boots “beak”, slightly curved at the toes. Today, Emma, 43, and Tomas, 53, the grandchildren of Yrjö, who founded the business in 1929, lead the boat.
The family business is located in Sattajärvi, a hamlet perched in the north of Sweden, close to the Finnish border. “The village was built near the lake of the same name, a beautiful elongated body of water which has the shape of the map of Swedendescribes Tomas Kero. 80 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, we have midnight sun in summer and dark days in winter. » In this polar setting, the tannery was an important local employer and the place is, underlines Tomas Kero, “one of the few villages whose population is not decreasing”. In recent years, a ski slope, a beach and a church have been built there.
Bankruptcy narrowly avoided
Tomas and his sister Emma grew up in a house located “100 meters away” from the family tannery. “I liked to go there after school and chat with the people who worked there”, remembers Emma. His brother, he was waiting for recess to spin in the family workshop. He entered it professionally in 1987. “It needed manpower and I thought it would be temporary. » But he likes it. Responsible for dyes, he became a sales representative, then CEO in 2005.
This is the turbulent time of transition. The second generation – that of their father, Sven-Olov, and his six brothers – handed over to them and their cousins, but “the recession then hit the leather industry”, recalls Emma. The case is close to bankruptcy. “Under the advice of consultants and bankers, we decided to split the business in two: the tannery on one side, the manufacture of shoes on the other, so that everyone could concentrate on their core business. » Efficient.
Although Kero remains modest in size, “today, both entities are prosperous”. She is responsible for the footwear business. He supervises the tanning of which “the whole process takes ten to fourteen days”, he explains. Once cleaned, reindeer skins go through vegetable tanning (dyeing), sometimes with a finish to protect against wear and dust. Seeking to continue a nearly century-old know-how, both work side by side. “We discuss everything that may concern the company”, assures Emma Kero. And its development. Next fall, they will sign a collaboration with Acne Studios, the most famous Swedish fashion label.