The Olympic Knives Kristin and Håkon

The Lillehammer Olympic Adventure – and at Brusletto Knife Factory

After the launch of the Hunter knife, Brusletto has had a wide range of knives on the market over the past three decades. These knives have been used for work, leisure, and celebrations, all sharing the common feature of solid Brusletto quality in handles, blades, and sheaths.

However, it was the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer that truly gave new wind to the sails of the knife factory in Geilo. In 1990, the management at Brusletto & Co AS contacted LOOC, the Norwegian Olympic Committee, to present their plans for a knife for the Olympics. They presented the Sølvgutten knife, but negotiations did not succeed. Brusletto believed that LOOC's terms were unrealistic for the company.

Two years later, Brusletto was contacted again by LOOC, who had organized licensed production and wanted to engage in a dialogue with the knife factory. Brusletto had just developed the Kristin knife, which had not yet been launched, and also presented a sketch of the Håkon knife, slightly larger. These knives had lower prices than Sølvgutten and aroused great interest at LOOC. The collaboration agreement still had strict conditions. An fee was imposed on LOOC, and Brusletto had to guarantee 500,000 kroner. To fulfill the guarantee, the company had to sell 17,000 knives. Hol municipality was willing to contribute half of the guarantee, and the agreement with LOOC was signed in the autumn of 1992.

The sale of the specially designed Olympic knives Håkon and Kristin began during the Christmas period in 1992. They were an immediate success, and by February 1993, the guarantee was fulfilled. Brusletto had to hire more employees to meet the demand. They soon had 50 employees, twice as many as usual, and were producing 1,000 knives daily. By the end of 1993, Brusletto had sold Olympic knives worth 25 million kroner, a record!

Sales of the Olympic knives Håkon and Kristin declined during the Olympics themselves, and sales in 1994 were significantly lower than the previous year. However, a total of 200,000 knives were still sold, amounting to 40 million kroner.

Like many other Norwegian companies, it was important for Brusletto & Co AS to leverage the success of the Olympics to establish themselves in the market and achieve lasting results. Towards the end of 1993, they decided to rebrand the company and its products with a new logo, packaging, and promotional materials. Graphic designer Trond Andersson from Ål was tasked with giving the company a new outward appearance. This was a successful graphic overhaul.

In 1994, Brusletto & Co AS entered into a partnership with Brødrene Øyo to establish their own sales company. The new company was named Geilo Produkter AS.