Great Greenland Furhouse

Great Greenland Furhouse is a Greenlandic tanning and manufacturing company headquartered in Qaqortoq in southern Greenland. Its business is centered on collecting, processing, tanning and selling seal skins and other furs from Greenland, with finished products including clothing, fashion accessories and related fur goods. The company operates through a service contract with the Government of Greenland and has historically functioned not only as a commercial processor but also as an important link between hunters, remote communities and international markets. The business began in 1977 under the name Grønlandsgarveriet, meaning the Greenland tannery. Founded by Hans Lassen, it initially specialized in tanning seal skins. In 1982, the enterprise became government-owned, reflecting the strategic and socioeconomic importance of the seal-skin trade to Greenland. It adopted the name Great Greenland in 1991 and is commonly identified as Great Greenland Furhouse in English-language references. Great Greenland purchases seal skins from communities throughout Greenland. Its collection and purchasing network has included trading stations and skin centers in Maniitsoq, Nuuk, Tasiilaq and Upernavik, together with independent trading points in smaller settlements. Dried skins can also reach the company through Pilersuisoq general stores. The network connects a large number of people to the trade: reference material describes more than 70 independent trading stations and estimates that over 2,500 people are involved in the wider seal-skin economy. The company itself has employed dozens of people directly, with most of its staff based in Qaqortoq, making it a significant employer in the town. The company's commercial performance has been closely tied to international regulation and consumer attitudes toward seal products. It recorded annual deficits from 2005 through 2012, before returning to profit in 2013 with a reported result of NOK 5.9 million. Great Greenland also pursued legal recovery after a former business partner sold 58,000 of the company's furs without authorization. In 2014, it sold 9,000 pieces at Kopenhagen Fur, then described as the world's largest fur auction. Regulatory restrictions have posed a structural challenge. The United States prohibits the import and sale of seal products under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In 2009, the European Parliament approved an EU-wide ban on seal products, while allowing an exemption for limited products originating from Inuit communities. Europe nevertheless remained the company's principal destination, with Denmark identified as its largest customer. Since the 1983 European Economic Community seal-skin ban, Greenlandic authorities have provided substantial annual support intended to sustain and develop the Greenlandic seal hunt and processing industry. The company and its supply network therefore occupy an unusual position at the intersection of manufacturing, indigenous livelihoods, public policy and international trade. The EU restrictions contributed to the closure of Great Greenland's last sewing workshop in 2016. The company has continued to be associated with Greenlandic seal-skin production, although its scale, product mix and market access have been shaped by changing regulations and demand. Its significance extends beyond its own workforce: the company provides a route to market for hunters and coastal communities, while its operations remain dependent on the availability of raw skins, public support and the legal treatment of seal products in export markets.

Great Greenland Furhouse was established in 1977 as Grønlandsgarveriet, or the Greenland tannery, by Hans Lassen. The original business specialized in tanning seal skins, an activity closely connected to Greenland's coastal hunting communities and local economy. In 1982, the enterprise became government-owned. This transition established the company as an institution with responsibilities extending beyond ordinary manufacturing, because its purchasing and processing activities provided an organized route to market for skins obtained in settlements across Greenland. The company changed its name to Great Greenland in 1991. Its operating model combined industrial processing in Qaqortoq with a broad supply and collection network. Skins were purchased from across Greenland through company-owned trading stations and skin centers in Maniitsoq, Nuuk, Tasiilaq and Upernavik, as well as independent stations in smaller villages. Dried skins could also be obtained through Pilersuisoq general stores. Reference material describes more than 70 independent trading stations and a wider seal-skin trade involving more than 2,500 people. Great Greenland directly employed 64 people in the cited period, 51 of them in Qaqortoq, making it one of the town's major employers. The company's finances fluctuated substantially in the 2000s and early 2010s. It reported yearly revenue deficits from 2005 to 2012, followed by a recovery in 2013 when it recorded a NOK 5.9 million profit. The business also became involved in a recovery effort after a former partner sold 58,000 company furs without informing Great Greenland. In 2014, the company participated in the Kopenhagen Fur auction and sold 9,000 pieces. Great Greenland's development has been constrained by international regulation governing seal products. The United States prohibits the import and sale of seal fur under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The European Economic Community introduced a seal-skin ban in 1983, and the European Parliament approved an EU-wide seal-product ban in 2009, subject to an exemption for certain Inuit products. Because Europe was the principal destination for much of the company's output, and Denmark its largest customer, these restrictions had direct commercial consequences. Greenlandic authorities have provided annual support since the earlier European ban to sustain and develop the seal hunt and related production. The support reflects the importance of the sector to professional hunters and remote communities, many of whom depend on a combination of hunting, fishing and coastal trade. The EU restrictions contributed to the closure of Great Greenland's last sewing workshop in 2016. The company consequently became more dependent on the processing and sale of skins and on the commercial possibilities available in regulated international markets. Its history illustrates the tension between local economic development and the legal, ethical and consumer pressures surrounding seal products. Great Greenland remains associated with Greenlandic tanning, seal-skin production and the effort to preserve a market for products sourced from Greenland's hunting communities.

• 2016

  Final sewing workshop closed

  [1]Great Greenland Furhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The company's last sewing workshop shut after seal-product restrictions reduced the prospects for its sewn-product operations.

• 2014

  Kopenhagen Fur auction sales

  [1]Great Greenland Furhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Great Greenland sold 9,000 pieces at the Kopenhagen Fur auction.

• 2013

  Return to profitability

  [1]Great Greenland Furhouseen.wikipedia.org

  After deficits in each year from 2005 through 2012, the company reported a NOK 5.9 million profit.

• 1991

  Name changed to Great Greenland

  [1]Great Greenland Furhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The tannery adopted the Great Greenland name used for its later commercial activities.

• 1982

  Company became government-owned

  [1]Great Greenland Furhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Grønlandsgarveriet was transferred into government ownership, reinforcing its role in Greenland's seal-skin economy.

• 1977

  Grønlandsgarveriet founded

  [1]Great Greenland Furhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Hans Lassen established the Greenland tannery in Qaqortoq, initially focusing on tanning seal skins.

A Greenland-based tannery and fur-products producer positioned around locally sourced seal skins, Greenlandic production, and the economic connection between remote hunting communities and international fashion markets.

• Tanning and raw materials · 1977

  Tanned seal skins

  The company's core industrial activity is the collection and tanning of seal skins sourced from communities throughout Greenland. The finished skins can be sold directly or used as inputs for clothing, accessories and other fur products.

• Apparel

  Seal-skin clothing

  Great Greenland has produced clothing made from Greenlandic seal skin, linking local tanning and sewing capabilities with fashion and outerwear markets. The company's final sewing workshop closed in 2016.

• Fashion products

  Fur fashion wear and accessories

  The company sells fashion wear and other products made from Greenlandic fur and seal skin. Specific current product ranges are not identified in the supplied reference material.

• 2016

  Closure of the last sewing workshopStrategy

  Background

  European and other international restrictions on seal products reduced access to important markets for sewn seal-skin goods.

  Action taken

  Great Greenland closed its remaining sewing workshop.

  Aftermath

  The closure reduced the company's in-house garment-production capacity and increased the importance of tanning, raw-skin sales and permitted export channels.

  Source

• 1982

  Transition to government ownershipStrategy

  Background

  The Greenland tannery had become an important processor and market intermediary for seal skins from Greenlandic communities.

  Action taken

  The company became government-owned.

  Aftermath

  The enterprise continued to operate as a strategically important part of Greenland's seal-skin and hunting economy.

  Source

1. 1Great Greenland Furhouseen.wikipedia.org