Collection: Reindeer by Kero

Kero Leather was founded in 1929 by Yrjö Kero in Sattajärvi, Norrbotten County, Sweden, 80 km north of the Arctic Circle in the middle of the Land of the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights.

Kero is the world's northernmost large scale tannery. The company has been handed down from generation to generation and is characterized by pride in its heritage and in the profession. Entrepreneurship and a strong faith in the future are part of that heritage – the urge to create employment for future generations.  The Reindeer is Kero's main raw material.  It is a species of deer that lives in herds in the northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America.  In northern Europe, practically every Reindeer has an owner, and owners will mark the ears of the calves with the same mark as the calves’ mother to identify each Reindeer. 

Reindeer are instrumental to the livelihood of the Sámi, sometimes referred to as Laplanders.  Reindeer herding is of vital importance to Sámi society. Reindeer herding is not simply a question of cattle rearing, but it comes from a long cultural tradition and is an integral part of the Sámi identity. The task of the Reindeer herder is to protect and safeguard the Reindeer in the best possible way to earn a living and maintain the industry, partly by supplying the Reindeer skin for tanning.

Kero is one of the few tanneries remaining in Sweden, and is continually monitored for compliance with the strict government environmental requirements. To buy Kero leather is a guarantee that the leather has been processed in a safe, ecological manner.  Kero uses an environment-friendly tanning method – natural tanning. Also, since the Reindeer migrate between Sweden, Norway and Finland, this means that the entire supply chain is local to the tannery, from raw material to finished leather. 

Hardtke Leather is very pleased to offer you Kero's beautiful Reindeer leather here, and to learn more about Kero and their leathers, please visit them on line: 

www.keroleather.com