Story of Iisakki Järvenpää

Born to be a smith

 

Iisakki had the makings of a legend from the very beginning. He was an exceptionally eager and diligent boy with a keen eye for visual details. In his free time – time other children might have spent playing – he took it upon himself to hone his reading and writing skills, paying special attention to his handwriting. 

 

However, during the years of the Famine (1866–1868), Finland was plagued by the second worst hunger crisis in its history. Even the artistic Iisakki had to toil through his childhood and youth, doing heavy work in the field and forest. He was frailer than the other men in his family, and knew that the exhausting physical labor would eventually drain both his body and his creativity.

 

Becoming a carpenter and painter were Iisakki’s first steps toward forging his own path as an artisan. Yet inside him burned a desire to do more: to create something new and leave his mark on the world. 

 

After long deliberation, Iisakki decided to take a bold step into the unknown. He was 20 years old when he told his fiancée: “I have decided to become a puukkoseppä (knife smith).” With this decision, Iisakki became one of Finland’s first entrepreneurs. 

Tireless pioneer

 

The industry was still in its infancy in Finland, so Iisakki had to learn everything about knife-making on his own. He even had to make his own tools – a practice we still follow today. Iisakki toiled in his workshop for hours on end, forging, tempering, sharpening, polishing... His professional pride would not allow him to give up until every detail was as he had visioned. Finally, through endless experimentation, the traditional Kauhava-style puukko was born. 

 

One of Iisakki’s creations included the "blood groove," which had nothing to do with blood but was a beautiful detail nonetheless. The groove, along with Iisakki’s signature etched into it, became one of his trademarks. 

 

Iisakki also conceived the sheath: a safe cover for the knife with eye-catching design and decorations.

Changing of the guard

 

As demand increased, Iisakki's knives went into mass-production. With the expansion of operations, Iisakki’s sons took on more responsibility, as their father, who had been tempered by many trials, began to tire. After a forty-year career, Iisakki handed over his knife business to his sons on October 15th, 1919.

Yet, the master knifesmith still couldn’t rest on his laurels. He continued to ensure the preservation of craftsmanship and quality. He remained at the factory as a trainer and quality inspector until his death on March 6th, 1929.

The Company's Fate on a Knife’s Edge

 
Iisakki Järvenpää’s descendants cherished and developed Iisakki’s legacy, generation after generation. The family held onto the company for as long as they could. However, starting in the 1980s, low-cost production from the Far East began to create unsustainable competition. In a desperate situation, models were either discontinued or simplified. 

 

When even this was not enough, the family made a last-ditch effort by placing a small sales advertisement in a local newspaper. The answer to the call came from two entrepreneurs from Seinäjoki, Jarkko Haukkala and Hannu Pennala. A surprise to everyone – most of all to the would-be owners themselves.

Following in Iisakki's footsteps

 

The new owners may not have had Iisakki Järvenpää’s blood running through their veins, but their strong spirit of kinship with Iisakki more than made up for it. Respect for the master knifesmith's legacy served as their compass as they began to steer the company back to its roots.

 
Just like Iisakki once did, the new owners were newcomers to the field and initially had to learn how the factory operated. Together, they reinstated models that had been discontinued or forgotten. Old tools were restored and put back into use, and traditional manufacturing methods were relearned painstakingly, through trial and error.