Many people have memories of Nesnalobben, and we get lots of questions about where and how the shoe is made today.
Most people who know Nesnalobben know that it was made in Nesna, Helgeland, from 1955, and that the factory went bankrupt in 1988. Nye Nesna Fabrikker took over production, and the factory stayed in Nesna until it was moved to the city of Tartu in Estonia for financial reasons between 2003 and 2007.
Originally, only a small part of production took place at the factory. The factory worked with a number of individuals who did most of the production in their own homes. These individuals, mostly women, sewed the wool felt for the shoes at home, while the soles were cast at the factory.
So what has changed since production moved to Estonia?
The edging and waffle stitching are sewn by machine.
Hand stitching is still used in some places on the shoe.
Sewing the underside of the shoe together so it is ready for casting is demanding work.
[IMAGE: nesnalobben-maskinproduksjon-protex.jpg | alt text: production machine making Nesnalobben shoes | caption: The soles are cast, as they always have been, but now on a slightly newer machine.]
[IMAGE: nesnalobben-maskinproduksjon-protex-2.jpg | alt text: production machine making Nesnalobben shoes | caption: The tread on the sole has been changed and made slightly coarser than before.]
