Hackman (company)

Hackman Oyj was a cutlery and cookware company founded in Finland in 1790.[1] The Hackman brand is now owned by Iittala Group, which was acquired by Fiskars Corporation in 2007.[2][3]

In a 2008 survey which included both Finnish and international brands, it was the fifth most respected brand among Finnish consumers.[4]

The Hackman butterfly knife (, "latch-knife") was a type of butterfly knife produced by Hackman. The knife was marketed by Hackman as a retkiveitsi ("camping knife") and later as Eräpuukko ("wilderness puukko"). The knives were also sold in the United States, and some researchers state they were issued by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency during the Vietnam War.[5]

History

Hackman was founded in 1790 by Johan Friedrich Hackman, a merchant from Bremen, Germany, who established a trading house in Vyborg in what was then part of Russia. Initially engaged in trade, particularly timber, salt, herring, and other commodities, Hackman quickly grew to become one of the foremost merchant enterprises in Eastern Finland, expanding its operations into sawmilling and shipping to support its timber exports.[1][6]

In the latter half of the 19th century, Hackman diversified beyond timber and shipping, investing in sugar refining, soap and candle manufacturing, and acquiring industrial sites that enabled further expansion. In 1876, the company started cutlery and fine metalwork manufacturing at Nurmi, near Vyborg. In 1891, Hackman established a factory at Sorsakoski in Leppävirta, which became central to the firm's metalworking and cutlery production. When the Sorsakoski sawmill burned down in 1897, Hackman shifted its focus to metalwork, and by 1902, the company started manufacturing single-piece forged cutlery.[1][6][7]

External links

• https://www.metos.com/manufacturing/ (Professional kitchen equipment, formerly Hackman)