O. Mustad & Son

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.

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.

1. 2017Verdane becomes majority shareholder

   Verdane Capital acquired a majority of the shares.

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2. 2011Family ownership ends

   The company was sold to NLI Utvikling, ending approximately six generations of Mustad family control.

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3. 1996Margarine business discontinued

   Mustad ended a food business that had produced margarine in Norway for more than a century.

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4. 1905Five Mustad sons become co-owners

   The next generation of the family formally joined ownership of the business.

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5. 1898Horseshoe-nail production begins in Sweden

   Mustad opened another horseshoe-nail operation in Dalsland, Sweden.

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6. 1891Horseshoe-nail production begins in France

   The company established a horseshoe-nail factory at Duclair in France.

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7. 1886Factory established in Finland

   Mustad opened a nail factory in Finland as part of its strategy of producing within key international markets.

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8. 1882Creditors repaid

   The company completed repayment of its debts and interest by July after employees had worked through the crisis using company notes.

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9. 1879Suspension of payments during economic crisis

   A downturn and declining nail demand forced the company to suspend payments, although operations continued.

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10. 1877Industrial hook production begins

    Machinery developed by Mathias Topp enabled hooks to be cut, bent, pointed and barbed in a faster industrial process.

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11. 1874Ole Mustad and Hans Mustad become co-owners

    Ole Hovelsen Mustad and his son Hans took ownership and continued the expansion of the family business.

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12. 1832Industrial predecessor established at Vardal

    Hans Schikkelstad founded Brusveen Spiger- og Staltradfabrikk to manufacture nails, steel wire and related metal products.

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A heritage Norwegian fishing brand positioned around specialized hook manufacturing, dependable terminal tackle and a broad global assortment of recreational-fishing equipment.

• Fish hooksFishing tackle1877

  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 hooksFly-fishing equipment

  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 linesFishing line

  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.

• Fishing lures and fliesLures and artificial bait

  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.

• Terminal tackleFishing accessories

  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 apparelFishing 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.

• 2017Verdane takes a majority stakeM&A

  Mustad was already under Norwegian investment ownership after the 2011 transaction.

  What changed. 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.

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• 2011Sell the company to NLI UtviklingM&A

  The Mustad family had controlled the enterprise for approximately six generations.

  What changed. 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.

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• 1886Localize production in international marketsStrategy

  Tariffs and protectionist policies made exporting metal goods directly from Norway difficult.

  What changed. 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.

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• 1877Protect hook-making know-how through secrecyStrategy

  The company faced the challenge of protecting an efficient new hook-production method developed by Mathias Topp.

  What changed. 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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• 2017Verdane acquires a majority stake in Mustad

  Verdane Capital became the majority shareholder, marking a further transition from family ownership to investment-company ownership.

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• 2011Mustad family sells the company to NLI Utvikling

  After approximately six generations of family involvement, O. Mustad & Søn was sold to Norwegian investment company NLI Utvikling, later associated with ARD Group AS.

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1. O. Mustad & Son
2. Mustad official website