Where is rapala manufactured

He already knew that in schools of minnows the wounded ones, those which wobbled when they swam, were the most likely targets of larger fish. He attempted to duplicate the motion in an artificial minnow. After much trial and error, the undertaking finally paid off. The lure he produced in was fabricated from cork, covered with colored tin foil claimed from candy and cheese packets, and sealed with the celluloid backing of photographic film.

The lure dramatically increased Rapala's trout and pike catch. Encouraged, he continued to refine his invention, switching, for example, from cork to pine bark for the body.

His luremaking endeavor was sidetracked, however, when Finland was invaded by its towering neighbor to the East. Rapala went off to war for six years, first fighting the Soviet Union and later Nazi Germany. Once at home, Rapala found that postwar vacationers to Lake Paijanne had heard about his lure and were eager to buy one.

A family business emerged. Rapala's four sons, Risto, Ensio, Esko, and Kauko, helped with production, and wife Elma handled the packaging and bookwork.

Gradually, the men fabricated devices to mechanize what had been entirely handmade. An old spinning wheel was adapted as a sander and a circular saw was constructed to shape the wood. Lauri continued to be a stickler for accuracy: the action of each of the 1, lures they produced during the year was tested in a tank of water or in the lake. The Rapala family lures made their way to North America by various means during the s.

Athletes participating in the Helsinki Summer Olympic games picked up the lure from a shopkeeper who had begun stocking them following a vacation to Lake Paijanne. Finns who immigrated to or were visiting the United States also helped to create a Rapala lure pipeline. Ron Weber, a Minneapolis-based fishing tackle sales representative, had heard rumors of a prolific "Finlander plug," and, as an avid angler, he was eager to try one.

During a frustrating Canadian fishing trip in the summer of , Weber's fishing partner pulled out an unfamiliar lure and tied it on his line. On his way back to Minneapolis, Weber stopped in Duluth, which was both his home town and home to numerous Finnish immigrants. The Finnish owner of an outdoor clothing store had some Rapalas behind his counter and sold Weber a few. After trying them out for himself, Weber wrote to Lauri Rapala and asked for of his lures.

Rapala first had to have the letter translated. Next, he sought help from Helsinki's Foreign Trade Department on how to proceed. In early , Weber received his order.

As the Rapalas tended to matters on their end, Weber convinced his friend and sporting goods storeowner Ray Ostrom to help distribute the lure. Initially named the Rapala Company, the part-time business operated out of Ostrom's store--the men renamed the company Nordic Enterprises before settling on Normark, or "north land," in Weber and Ostrom first test-marketed the lure in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Even though the Rapala was twice as expensive as popular lures such as the Johnson Silver Spoon, the Jitterbug, and the Lazy Ike, it was well positioned for the changing fishing tackle market.

Early Normark sales rep Bill Cullerton, Sr. With new mono line and lighter fishing tackle, the industry needed lighter lures. Normark, now armed with an exclusive North American distribution contract from Rapala, turned to the news media to spread the word about the lure. During the s, Ostrom cultivated relationships with local and national sports and outdoor reporters. The company would also finance fishing films targeting sportsmen's shows and fishing clubs.

The company's greatest exposure, however, was generated by a Life magazine article. A Life reporter, in the Twin Cities to cover the newly formed Minnesota Vikings, met Ostrom at a dinner party given by the outdoor editor for the Minneapolis Tribune. Ostrom, who just happened to have a couple lures in tow, sparked the reporter's interest in Lauri Rapala's story. Millions bought the magazine and orders barraged Normark.

Weber and Ostrom could fill only a fraction of the three million requests. Tales of a Rapala black market and a Rapala rental market surfaced, as did copycat plugs.

Storeowners paid retail prices just to put the product on their shelves. Weber and Ostrom dropped their other enterprises and devoted themselves full-time to marketing the lure.

During this time, the Group acquired the Flipper boat company and a caravan business. In , Rapala started a distribution alliance with Shimano.

These changes were followed by a management buy-out, where the management together with some private equity investors bought the company from the family and listed Rapala Normark Oy on the Helsinki Stock Exchange in The distribution network was further expanded to Eastern Europe, Switzerland and Brazil. Simultaneously, the product range was increased to include a wide variety of fishing accessories such as rods, reels and fishing lines.

The Williamson and Guigo big game fishing businesses were acquired in A new era of strong growth started in when Rapala continued to implement its strategy for profitable growth. In less than a year, the Group acquired or established distribution companies in South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, China, Thailand and Switzerland and bought lure manufacturer Luhr Jensen in the USA, knife manufacturer Marttiini in Finland, fishing line supplier Tortue in France and cross-country ski manufacturer Peltonen in Finland.

Thereafter, Rapala has established a lure factory and several distribution centers in Russia, a distribution company in Korea, acquired the Terminator spinner bait business in the USA and widened the distribution alliance with Shimano to several new countries. Simultaneously the Group has developed a large variety of new products and product categories including Rapala Pro Wear clothing, Rapala Vision Gear sunglasses and new Trigger X attractants that include Ultrabite fish pheromone.

The latest addition to the Group brand and product portfolio is the Sufix fishing line brand with a large spectrum of products and the potential to become one of the world leading suppliers of fishing line. With this product assortment, distribution network, manufacturing platform and brand portfolio, the Group is well positioned to continue its profitable growth. The Group core business is fishing tackle business, which is represented by five of these product lines.

Rapala is an undisputed market leader in hard-bodied lures, metal lures, treble hooks and fillet knives. The Group is also strengthening its global position in Accessories and especially in Fishing Lines.

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You can adjust your cookie settings , otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. All Activity Home Rapala's made in Finland? Sign in with Facebook. Sign in with Twitter. Sign in with Google. Rapala's made in Finland? Share More sharing options Followers 0. Reply to this topic Start new topic. Recommended Posts. Finlander Posted June 14, Posted June 14, I have a few Rapala's that say on the lip Finland. All the newer one are made in another country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options Tom Posted June 14, Most new ones are made in Estonia but I believe some are still made in Finland.