RAPALA HISTORY

With a history of 60 years as a business, 70 years of lure making experience and close to 300 world-record catches, Rapala and its products are clearly crafted from experience. With its track record and current unique distribution network, manufacturing platform and brand portfolio, the Group is well positioned for growth.

Crafted From Experience – Positioned For Further Growth

With a history of 60 years as a business, more than 70 years of lure making experience and more than 880 world-record catches, Rapala and its products are clearly crafted from experience. With its track record and current unique distribution network, manufacturing platform and brand portfolio as well as solid financial basis, the Group is well positioned for further growth.

Necessity – The Mother of Invention (1936–1945)

Lauri Rapala, the founder of the Rapala business, was born into poverty in Finland in 1905. To make a better living, Lauri started to develop a lure that would increase the productivity of his fishing. In 1936, he finally managed to carve a rough-looking lure that produced an off-centre and enticing wobbling action – the one that is still the basis for many Rapala lures. The story of Rapala lures had begun.

The Business Is Born (1945–1955)

After World War II, Lauri revived his small lure making business that had blossomed just before the war. Lauri first made all the lures himself but was soon joined by his family. Despite the increased production volumes, Lauri insisted on testing every single lure to make sure that the action was correct. Even today, all Rapala-branded lures are manually tested before packing.

The American Dream (1955–1965)

Foreign visitors to the Helsinki Olympic Games of 1952 were amongst the first to take Rapala lures outside Finland. In 1955, the first export sales started to Sweden and Norway and later to the USA. In 1957, the business was formalized and the Rapala-Uistin (Lauri Rapala and Sons) company was established. In 1959, Ron Weber and Ray Ostrom started to distribute Rapala lures in the USA, a business later to become Normark Corporation. In 1962 a long article of Rapala happened to be published in the Life magazine’s circulation record breaking memorial edition on Marilyn Monroe. This exploded the demand of Rapala lures in the US.

International Co-operation (1965–1975)

After export sales were expanded in the early 60’s from the US to Canada, Rapala strengthened the distribution in Sweden in the mid 60’s and made the first contacts with the French companies Ragot and VMC. Many new lure models were introduced in 60’s and the first Rapala fillet knives were launched in 1967 – the start of the co-operation with Marttiini. By the mid-1970’s, Normark, then still separate from Rapala, had established distribution companies in Canada, the UK and Sweden. At the same time, Rapala signed distribution agreements to Denmark and France. The new factory at Vääksy was opened in 1973.

Family Business to Next Generation (1975–1989)

After Lauri Rapala died in 1974, the company name was changed to Rapala Oy and the son Ensio was appointed as President of Rapala while his brothers Esko and Risto had their own responsibilities. Production methods and technology were further developed and the capacity increased markedly: while a total of 25 million lures were produced during 1936-1975, the total number of manufactured lures reached 100 million in 1988. The range of lures was further widened, the Blue Fox spinner brand was introduced and a manufacturing unit was established in Ireland. During this time, the Group acquired a boat company and a caravan business.

Time of Change (1989–1998)

In 1989, Esko’s son Jarmo Rapala was appointed as President of Rapala and Jorma Kasslin as Deputy President. Consequently, a major restructuring followed: in a few years Rapala sold both the boat and caravan business and acquired the Normark distribution companies in the USA, Canada, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland and Finland as well as the French company Ragot. In 1993, 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 1998. Jorma Kasslin was appointed as the President of the Group.

Expansion and Diversification (1998–2005)

Following the stock exchange listing Rapala’s expansion continued strongly. In late 1990’s and early 2000 Rapala bought Storm lures, French VMC hook business, Chinese Willtech lure manufacturing unit and Williamsson big game fishing business. Rapala lure manufacturing expanded in Estonia and Group’s own distribution company network expanded in Japan, East Europe, Switzerland and Brazil. Simultaneously, the product range was widened to include a variety of fishing accessories such as rods, reels and fishing lines.

Profitable Growth Continues (2005- )

A new phase in implementation of the profitable growth strategy started in 2005. 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 companies in South Korea, Romania, Iceland, Slovak and Belarus, acquired the Terminator spinner bait business and widened the distribution alliance with Shimano to several new countries. Group has also successfully entered into the fishing line business by acquiring the Sufix brand and just concluded a deal on Dynamite Baits to seriously enter into the carp fishing business and UK distribution. Simultaneously, the Group has developed a large variety of new products and product categories including clothing, sunglasses, pheromone attractants and many new lure families as well as expanded its gift business. The Group has also improved its profitability and strengthened its balance sheet by e.g. changing the operational business model in China, restructuring the lure manufacturing in Europe and developing its supply chain and working capital management.

With this product assortment, distribution network, manufacturing platform, brand portfolio and solid financial basis, the Group is well positioned to continue its profitable growth.

RAPALA LEGACY!

It all began with a hungry Finnish guy and a carving knife. It was the 1930s when a simple fisherman made an observation of simple genius: big fish eat little fish, especially little fish that are wounded. So begins the greatest fishing story ever told.

It all began with a hungry Finnish guy and a carving knife. It was the 1930s when a simple fisherman made an observation of simple genius: big fish eat little fish, especially little fish that are wounded. So begins the greatest fishing story ever told. As Lauri Rapala fished the waters of Finland’s Lake Päijänne, he quietly rowed and watched. And what he saw was how hungry predator fish would dart into a school of minnows and attack the one that swam with a slightly off-center wobble. Over and over again.

Lauri realized that if he could craft a lure that mimicked the movements of a wounded minnow, he could catch more fish, earn more money, and not spend time constantly baiting lines. So Lauri set to work. He whittled. Carved. And shaved. Eventually a lure began to take shape. Using a shoemaker’s knife and some sandpaper, he created his first successful lure from cork in 1936. Tinfoil from chocolate bars formed the lure’s outer surface. Melted photographic negatives formed the protective coating. But most importantly, it perfectly imitated the action of a wounded minnow. Legend has it that Lauri sometimes caught 600 pounds of fish a day with that new lure. And as word of his abundant catches spread, the lure’s reputation grew. The rest, as they say, is history. That first lure was the forefather to the lure that has helped more fishermen experience the thrill of more big fish than any other: the legendary Original Floating Rapala.

As fishermen around the world began to catch more and bigger fish with Rapala’s lure, it became clear that what triggered them was the lure’s tantalizing wiggle and wobble. Because even though fish throughout the world were different, predators and baitfish always acted true to form. Big fish hammers wounded little fish. That’s why Lauri tested each lure to make sure it swam true to the unique “wounded-minnow action.” It wasn’t the fastest way to make a fishing lure. But it was the only way to make a Rapala. It’s an action as distinct to a Rapala as a fingerprint is to a person. An action no other company has been able to duplicate.

And so with every unforgettable trip of a lifetime, every successful Saturday afternoon with a kid at the local fishing hole, the Rapala legend grew. And a deep-seated trust began to form between anglers and Rapala. Weekenders became hardcore. Dads became heroes. And more and more fishermen began reaching for Rapala again and again.

For millions, success could be measured by the growing number of trophy fish caught on Rapala lures. And because we at Rapala are fishermen first, we know not only what our fellow fishermen need, but what they can’t live without. Like when the Shad Rap exploded onto the scene like a surface-to-air bass hellbent on dinner. Word of the Shad Rap’s amazing ability to catch fish spread like wildfire. Tackle shops sold out across the country. Resort owners and mom-and-pop bait shops rented out Shad Raps by the day. And even by the hour. Twenty years later it’s still one of fishing’s most successful lures.

Likewise, the moment Rapala introduced Fish ’n Fillet knives they enhanced the fishing experience for millions. Until then, fishermen had a long and grizzly history of clumsily whittling down a prized catch to something resembling a fillet of songbird. The tapered design and unique flexibility of the Fish ’n Fillet made filleting easier, which is why to this day they’re still the number one fillet knives in the world. And so a foundation was laid. The successes of the Original Floater, Shad Rap and Fish ’n Fillet were followed by other Rapala products that found their way into tackle boxes and history books. Lures like the Magnum, the Rattlin’ Rapala, the Fat Rap, the Count Down, the Husky Jerk, the limited edition Tail Dancer and the X-Rap.

There’s a reason more fishermen around the world put their faith in Rapala. It’s a confidence that stretches through 140 countries and is validated each year by more than 10 million Rapala lures and millions of other Group-branded lures sold. Simply put, Rapala products make better fishermen. Nothing rushed to market, but carefully crafted from years of experience. No shortcuts. No gimmicks. No flash in the pan, next greatest things. It is a legacy of unwavering quality that can be seen in every lure, every fillet knife, every tool, and every cast of our premium monofilament line. A legacy that continues with new Rapala offerings like premium graphite rods, the world’s first long casting line, and more new lures, new actions, new sizes, new colors, new finishes, and new ways of catching more fish.

The sweet smell of success lingers long after the scent of fish slime fades. Tens of millions of walleye, trout, bass, pike, trout, wahoo, snook and tarpon later, Rapala continues to stand the test of time. Through the industry’s ups and downs. Through the coldest cold fronts. Because through it all, one simple truth has endured. That which is irresistible to fish will always be irresistible to the fisherman.