The French connection. Awarded Oscar of purity.

At the heart of every Valandré product is a material that can only be produced by the French Fat Grey Goose in only one region of the world – this breed of goose is singular in the world for producing the highest quality down. Twice a year, geese produce fresh down in preparation for flying their traditional migration routes, down that allows them to fly up to 33,000 ft (10.000 m) in temperatures as low as -58°F (-50°C) for days at a time. To see more information on the amazing abilities of geese, check these links:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_w3biT3TU  And http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/geese.htm)

As we work out of the South West of France, a region where the gray goose production is centered, and as we are well connected, the down qualitys in our products are selected at the source, even before they enter the official market. The strongest and most mature qualitys, are systematicly reserved our High Altitude vital needs, and they do not enter the general market. - A trip some years ago, with a couple of the big guys from International High Altitude expeditions, cut short of where the creme of the crop should go......Exclusively!

To understand how we help the French Fat Grey Goose produce this marvel of warmth, we start at the beginning. The egg is gently warmed and rotated, kept in a sterile environment until the gosling is ready to enter the world. After 28 days in the warm confines of its shell, an eager gosling with an insatiable hunger is ready to go into the farmyard. High quality, high oil-content feed is served, and the gosling begins to grow. As time goes by, the goose begins to prepare itself for its traditional migration time. By storing massive amounts of fat in its liver, the goose is storing the energy needed to fly for days on end at high altitude and in extreme cold. The old feathers and down are molted and the goose begins to produce a new coat that will withstand the rigors of the migration. The new down is fresh, clean, unbroken, and ready to go. It is at this moment that we harvest the totally mature down.

The down is sorted from the feathers in tall vertical boxes. A fan at the top gently pulls the feather/down mix towards the top of the box. The heavy feathers don’t go as high in the box as the down does. Valandré only accepts the down that makes it to the very top of the box. Sorting the feather/down mix is more of an art than science. Throughout the entire sorting process an attendant monitors the vacuum level and down moisture content to ensure a perfect sorting. The vacuum gently removes the down from the sorting box and it is taken to the cleaning station. The down goes through multiple wash cycles to remove any chance contaminant. Dried, sterilized, fluffed and loosely stored in bags, the down is now ready for the 3-hour ride to our factory where it will breathe life into every one of Valandré's down products.

It is this singular, unmatched down that will keep you safe and warm. Valandré can only source this down from one region and you can only get it from one company: Valandré.

Isn't it funny, when you are member of the down mafia, you get what you want......if you are not.....then there's a crap load of stuff available from Eastern Europe.

If you have a hunger for really technical numbers and information, send your questions to technic@valandre.com.