The building on Pärna Street, which had been vacant for about a year and had housed the sewing production of “Nirgi Servis” LLC for the last few decades, has come back to life earlier this year after the sewing workshop was relocated to Narva. Production of wool products has been resumed here.
Gulzalina Zhekhtunova, the owner and manager of “Nirgi Servis”, stated that since 2006, in collaboration with Norwegian companies, they have been manufacturing children’s clothing sold under the brand “Laska Kidswear”, and produced woolen slippers, insoles, napkins, and other items. Various reasons led to a pause in this work, but now the time has come to resume the direction of wool felting.
– Especially since we have production facilities that can be utilized. We had experience with felting before, and our partners showed interest. The production can be called new because we developed new products. Fortunately, in Ida-Virumaa, there are specialists who were not only able to prepare unique machines for launch but also improve them to such an extent that the efficiency significantly increased—we managed to move away from templates, increasing the output by 70 percent, which surprised our partners from the Norwegian company ‘Tuva Tov’.
Resumed collaboration
“Tuva Tov” is involved in supplying raw materials and marketing the products. Recently, the Norwegians visited Kohtla-Järve to see how the process is progressing and to discuss plans.
– This business was started in 2013,” said Frode Tun, one of the managers of “Tuva Tov,” “but back then the production was in Norway. It was moved to Kohtla-Järve a bit later, where we manufactured various products until 2018. Then our company closed, and in January, work resumed with new vigor. Previously, our assortment included many different types of products and in various color ranges. Now, we have narrowed down the product lines, deciding to focus on larger volumes. The products are mainly intended for export.
“We started with seat pads, but there are other ideas as well.”
Gulzalina Zhekhtunova,
owner and manager of “Nirgi Servis”
His colleague, Lars VermSkog, added that they will proceed, but gradually, step by step.
“We are pleased to be back in Kohtla-Järve, because ‘Nirgi Servis’ has proven itself as a reliable and interested partner,” he explained. “It’s quite difficult to sell such products. We primarily work with foundations and clubs. We have also started working with one of the foundations in Estonia, following the same model as in Norway, that is, helping people with limited responsibility. How does it work? You can print your brand on a seat pad, and large companies will support the customers by paying either half or the full amount. For example, next week Frode and I are meeting with two major oil companies in Norway, who are interested in our products.”
Natural wool seat pads can be used everywhere— in cars, outdoors, at country houses, in the mountains, homes, various sports clubs, and at different events. There is already an order from the organizers of the 2025 FIS World Ski Championships, which will be held in Trondheim, Norway.
– People sit on plastic benches during competitions, which is not very comfortable. But by using our seat pads, spectators can feel warm and comfortable. They are very lightweight, which allows people to carry them everywhere and use them as needed.
Small, but effective
Currently, 4-6 people are employed in production.
– We started with seat pads, but there are other ideas. We’ll see how it goes; we’re thinking of expanding the range,” – notes Gulzalina. “We might resume production of children’s clothing, which was very popular in Estonia and other countries. We really like Norwegian wool; it’s a pleasure to work with. Silky, soft, it’s something you’d want to bathe in.
At the end of the year, “Nirgi Servis” shared plans about creating a hotel in the same building. Have they changed their minds?
– No. The preparatory process has been initiated. The project should be ready by the end of March,” replied Gulzalina. “A hotel is a long-term process, so while the building is vacant, we decided to open new production here. If everything planned with the hotel comes to fruition, we will move the machinery to a new location—look for another space, buy or rent it.”
