O. Mustad & Son
Norwegian manufacturer of fish hooks and hardware with a long history.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
O. Mustad & Son is a Norwegian company founded in 1832, known for manufacturing fish hooks, and is one of the world's largest producers. The company also makes other hardware products, headquartered in Gjøvik, Norway.
History
O. Mustad & Søn traces its origins to 1832, when Hans Schikkelstad established Brusveen Spiger- og Staltradfabrikk at Vardal near Gjøvik. The factory made nails, steel wire and other metal products. After Schikkelstad's death, his son-in-law Ole Hovelsen Mustad took over with his son Hans. The enterprise adopted the Mustad name and expanded into fencing wire, pins, paper clips, horseshoe nails, shipbuilding nails and other wire-based products. In the nineteenth century, Gjøvik had limited infrastructure, making the movement of raw materials and finished goods difficult. Mustad nevertheless built a substantial industrial base. A particularly important development was the work of inventor Mathias Topp, who created machinery capable of producing hooks through a sequence of cutting, bending, pointing and barbing operations. The company industrialized this process in 1877 and protected its competitive advantage through secrecy rather than a publicly disclosed patent. Efficient production helped Mustad become an international leader in fish hooks. The expansion was interrupted by the European downturn of the late 1870s. Falling construction activity reduced demand for nails, and Hans Mustad suspended payments in 1879. Workers continued operating the business for two years and received Mustad notes that were accepted by local merchants. The company ultimately repaid its creditors in full, including interest, by July 1882. Mustad's later social programs included schools, cultural groups, a library, a shop and recreational facilities, making the company a central institution in the local community. To address tariffs and protectionist trade conditions, Mustad established overseas factories close to important markets. A nail plant opened in Finland in 1886, followed by horseshoe-nail plants in France in 1891 and Sweden in 1898. Before the First World War, the company had operations in most major European markets for horseshoe nails. The decentralized model provided resilience during later geopolitical disruptions, although the company lost its plants and around 8,000 employees in territories behind the Iron Curtain after the Second World War. During the twentieth century, Mustad was much broader than a fishing company. It produced paper clips, mattress springs, zippers, screws and other metal goods, as well as ovens and waffle presses. It also operated in machinery and food production, including a margarine business that lasted more than a century and ended in 1996. The fishing division gradually became the principal strategic focus as the group moved away from its diverse industrial portfolio. The Mustad family retained control for six generations. That era ended at the end of 2011 with a sale to NLI Utvikling, a Norwegian investment firm later known as or connected with ARD Group AS. In 2017, Verdane Capital acquired a majority interest. The contemporary company, known as Mustad Fishing, operates internationally through production and sales locations in Europe, Asia and North America. Its portfolio extends from fish and fly hooks into lines, lures, flies, terminal tackle, apparel and other fishing accessories.
- 2017
Verdane becomes majority shareholder
[1]Verdane Capital acquired a majority of the shares.
- 2011
Family ownership ends
[1]The company was sold to NLI Utvikling, ending approximately six generations of Mustad family control.
- 1996
Margarine business discontinued
[1]Mustad ended a food business that had produced margarine in Norway for more than a century.
- 1905
Five Mustad sons become co-owners
[1]The next generation of the family formally joined ownership of the business.
- 1898
Horseshoe-nail production begins in Sweden
[1]Mustad opened another horseshoe-nail operation in Dalsland, Sweden.
- 1891
Horseshoe-nail production begins in France
[1]The company established a horseshoe-nail factory at Duclair in France.
- 1886
Factory established in Finland
[1]Mustad opened a nail factory in Finland as part of its strategy of producing within key international markets.
- 1882
Creditors repaid
[1]The company completed repayment of its debts and interest by July after employees had worked through the crisis using company notes.
- 1879
Suspension of payments during economic crisis
[1]A downturn and declining nail demand forced the company to suspend payments, although operations continued.
- 1877
Industrial hook production begins
[1]Machinery developed by Mathias Topp enabled hooks to be cut, bent, pointed and barbed in a faster industrial process.
Products and positioning
A heritage Norwegian fishing brand positioned around specialized hook manufacturing, dependable terminal tackle and a broad global assortment of recreational-fishing equipment.
Fishing tackle · 1877
Fish hooks
Fish hooks are Mustad's historic core product and the foundation of its international reputation. The company industrialized hook production in the late nineteenth century and continues to build its fishing assortment around hooks for different angling applications. The range is complemented by terminal components and other equipment used to connect, present and retrieve bait or lures.
Fly-fishing equipment
Fly hooks
Mustad's fly hooks serve fly tiers and anglers who construct or use artificial flies. They extend the company's hook expertise into a specialized segment where hook shape, point geometry and wire characteristics affect fly construction and fishing performance.
Fishing line
Fishing lines
The modern portfolio includes both monofilament and multifilament fishing lines. These products broaden Mustad's offering beyond hooks and allow the brand to supply additional parts of an angler's rig and terminal setup.
Lures and artificial bait
Fishing lures and flies
Mustad sells fishing lures and fishing flies as part of its move from a hook specialist toward a fuller fishing-accessories business. They are intended for different angling methods and are sold alongside hooks, lines and terminal tackle.
Fishing accessories
Terminal tackle
Terminal tackle covers the connecting and rigging components used between line, lure, bait and hook. This category represents an important expansion from Mustad's traditional hook business and supports the brand's broader positioning as a supplier of fishing equipment rather than a single-product manufacturer.
Fishing apparel
Fishing apparel
Fishing apparel is part of Mustad's contemporary accessory range. The category extends the brand into equipment used by anglers while fishing, complementing its technical tackle and consumable products.
Brand decisions
2017
Verdane takes a majority stakeM&ABackground
Mustad was already under Norwegian investment ownership after the 2011 transaction.
Action taken
Verdane Capital acquired a majority of the company's shares.
Aftermath
Mustad continued as an internationally operating fishing-tackle business under majority investment-firm ownership.
2011
Sell the company to NLI UtviklingM&ABackground
The Mustad family had controlled the enterprise for approximately six generations.
Action taken
Ownership was transferred to Norwegian investment company NLI Utvikling, now associated with ARD Group AS.
Aftermath
The transaction ended direct family ownership and began a new phase under investment-company control.
1886
Localize production in international marketsStrategyBackground
Tariffs and protectionist policies made exporting metal goods directly from Norway difficult.
Action taken
Mustad established factories in target markets, beginning with a nail plant in Finland and later adding horseshoe-nail plants in France and Sweden.
Aftermath
The decentralized international structure expanded the company's market access and later provided resilience during geopolitical disruptions.
1877
Protect hook-making know-how through secrecyStrategyBackground
The company faced the challenge of protecting an efficient new hook-production method developed by Mathias Topp.
Action taken
Instead of publicly patenting the machinery, Mustad restricted access, kept the process confidential and required workers to observe nondisclosure arrangements.
Aftermath
The protected process supported rapid industrialization of hook production and helped establish Mustad as an international hook leader.
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