Eiderdown's rarity surpasses gold, platinum, diamonds, and even the number of Rolls-Royces manufactured yearly. Its hefty price tag of $1500 per pound reflects its scarcity, the intense human effort, and the symbiotic relationship between farmers and eiders. Moreover, Eiderdown symbolizes sustainability in a nation primarily powered by renewable energy.
The brown and speckled female eiders may seem plain, but their appearance is distinct. When you see a common eider in nature, you'd never mistake it for any other duck. Their size alone makes a statement; with the males weighing an average of five pounds, they are much larger than the familiar mallard drakes that weigh roughly half.
Every year, during April and May, the gathering of common eiders is near the US-Canadian border, on the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, up to 20,000 eider pairs come back annually.
During nesting, eider hens shed down feathers to form a brood patch - a featherless skin patch that aids in warming their eggs. Their nests mix this and other materials ranging from seaweed, grass, and twigs to shoreline debris.
From a bird's-eye view, these nests pop out against the Canadian landscape, resembling beige cushions. Each nest houses four to five eggs, which the mother incubates for about 24 days. The ducklings, once hatched, follow their mother and never look back at the nest.
The purification of the harvested down is arduous. Initially, it undergoes drying at high temperatures for up to 14 hours. Duvetnor and his crew meticulously separate the down, akin to removing fleas from a dog. This down is baked at 266 degrees Fahrenheit for four days, processed through machines to eliminate debris, and hand-cleaned again.
Final purification requires one worker for nearly eight hours for just two pounds of down. After about three and a half months from start to finish, the down is ready for shipment.
We proudly sell the gold of down, Eider.