The beginning of Ruukki Kehräämö
Life is full of surprising encounters that can change the direction of your entire life. That's what happened to two young women at the gate of Helsinki's Rajasaari dog park in the spring of 1987. This meeting of two big natter brothers and their mistresses began a lifelong friendship. And years later, a unique company was also born, the likes of which there is no other in the whole world.
Years passed and the friends lived their lives on their own terms. In 2004, Sini brought the first alpacas from Chile to Finland. The wools were sent all the way to England to be spun, because there was no spinning mill in Finland suitable for fine and fat-free alpaca wool.
This gave rise to the idea of owning a spinning mill that spins fine quality fibers. At the same time, the friends' long-term dream of a joint company also came true. Leena's family lived in the charming and unique iron village of Mathildedal, where they acquired premises for spinning machines and a small shop.
The premises were found in an old carpentry workshop. A herd of almost 40 alpacas was pastured in the central location of the village, and since then the alpacas have been part of the charm of Mathildedal's mining village.
Picture. Mathildedal village alpacas in 2014.
10 years of spinning operations
The operation was started in 2012. The purchase of spinning machines was a bold leap into the unknown, because neither Leena nor Sinikäm were professionals in the craft industry. But through trial and error, the friends managed to use spinning machines to create artisan yarns, each production batch of which is completely unique. People in the craft industry all over Finland are in love with the yarns, and today there are also knitting instructions designed by professionals that can be used to knit the most wonderful alpaca sweaters yourself.
Picture. Finnish Handicrafts trade fair stand in 2022.
Alpaca Royal
Over the years, Ruukkin Kehräämö's own clothing collection, which today bears the name Alpaca Royal, also began to take shape. Alpaca Royal gets its name from its very high-quality raw material (Royal level alpaca fiber <18µm) and luxury-quality softness and comfort. The Alpaca Royal collection has many loyal users in Finland and now the journey is headed towards the Central European market.
In 2023, the spinning mill machines were sold to Tove and Henna of Inkoose, who set up a new spinning mill
, Linkulla Spinner . After spinning mill work stopped, the resources have been focused on making Royal quality alpaca clothes known and expanding the collection.
"We want to be pioneers in responsible and high-quality alpaca clothing production and spread the good news of the incredible properties of high-quality alpaca fiber."
Responsibility as a way of life
Responsibility has been the supporting ideology of friendship since the beginning, long before it became trendy. Ecological, economic and often forgotten social responsibility are the principles by which we act in all decision situations.
Forward with creative madness
There have been challenges over the years, such as Leena's injury and the pandemic, but they have also been overcome with creative thinking and bold solutions. The whole entrepreneurial story of the friends is best described by creative madness, which is nevertheless based on strong expertise and hard work.
"We have read in the newspapers how one Finnish clothing company after another has gone bankrupt or closed its operations. The reason is often that it is impossible to compete with foreign fast fashion companies when people are otherwise financially tight.
However, we believe in people's desire to make better solutions for nature and humanity. And we know that a long-lasting and high-quality product is ultimately a cheaper purchase than the cheap products of fast fashion companies. Because in the same time as consuming one product from us, the customer has to buy several if not dozens of new clothes.
And don't forget that we also have a repair service, which can be used to conjure up clothes that are even years old."
-Leena and Sini
