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From a small blacksmith shop in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul to a multinational company present in 120 countries: Tramontina's century-old history of overcoming, innovation and success.
Tramontina is a true source of national pride. The brand is famous for its knives, cutlery and pans. The company, now over a century old, began as a small blacksmith shop. It was founded in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul. Today, it is a multinational company with a presence in over 120 countries. Its history began in 1911, with Valentin Tramontina and his wife, Elisa De Cecco. The journey was marked by challenges, family overcoming and constant growth.
Valentin Tramontina's blacksmith shop in Carlos Barbosa
Valentin Tramontina was born in 1893, in Bento Gonçalves (RS). He was the son of Italian immigrants who arrived in Brazil in 1885. Learned the trade He worked as a tinsmith and then as a blacksmith. In 1910, he bought tools from a cousin in Carlos Barbosa. The following year, 1911, he opened his own blacksmith shop in the city. The timing was opportune, as the arrival of a train line was boosting the local economy. Initially, Valentin, his brother Luiz and an employee made horseshoes. They also carried out small repairs for other industries.
In 1920, Valentin married Elisa. The couple had three children: Henrique, Nilo and Ivo. The small workshop faced difficulties when its main client moved. The solution came with the production of pocket knives, which he learned from a cousin of Elisa. The work was artisanal, but it became the company's flagship. Around 1930, Valentin took advantage of a fire at a cutlery company in Porto Alegre. He offered to repair damaged knives. Through this, he learned about new models and began to focus on knife production. The blacksmith shop prospered again.
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Elisa's strength
Prosperity was interrupted by family tragedies. The eldest son, Henry, died at the age of 9. Valentin Tramontina He was very shaken and his health worsened. He died in 1939, at the age of 46. The following year, 1940, his second son, Nilo, also died, at the age of 17. Elisa was left alone with her youngest son, Ivo, who was 14 years old.
He thought about closing the blacksmith shop, but decided to continue the business. She began to work hard in the workshop. To keep her 13 loyal employees, she divided a piece of land into lots and gave one to each of them. Elisa traveled alone by train to Porto Alegre. She sold knives and pocket knives door to door to pay her employees.
Ivo Tramontina and Ruy Comazzon take over command
While Elisa was away, her son Ivo took over the factory. The two formed a duo: Ivo took care of production and Elisa took care of sales. However, the lack of administrative structure became evident. A tax inspector approached Elisa, who was unfamiliar with tax regulations. They realized they needed help with management.
Elisa asked a friend, Ana Comazzon, to arrange for her son Ruy to work at Tramontina. Ruy Comazzon had a degree in Economics. Initially, he helped with accounting in his spare time. Soon, he and Ivo began planning the reorganization of the company. Ruy decided to leave the family business to dedicate himself full-time to Tramontina, motivated by his affinity with Ivo.
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In 1954, the company was registered as Viúva Valentim Tramontina & Cia Ltda. It was renamed Tramontina Cutelaria, and Ruy became a partner. After Elisa's death in 1961, Ivo (aged 36) and Ruy (aged 33) took over definitive management. Ivo focused on production on the factory floor. Ruy took care of the administrative and financial areas.
New factories, new products
Under the leadership of Ivo Tramontina and Ruy, Tramontina expanded and diversified. In 1959, they opened Forjasul in Porto Alegre (later Canoas) for forged parts. In 1963, they opened a tool factory in Garibaldi. The first export (knives to Chile) took place in 1969.
In 1971, they began producing cutlery in Farroupilha, after receiving surplus stainless steel from Japan. New factories emerged: electrical materials (1976) and agricultural and gardening equipment (1982). They adopted a decentralized management model, with each factory having its own goals.
The Clovis Tramontina Era
Clóvis Tramontina, son of Ivo Tramontina, joined the company in 1980 after graduating in Business Administration. He stood out in the sales area. He took bold measures, such as selling directly to the end consumer. He managed to insert Tramontina into large retail chains, such as Mappin and Pão de Açúcar. He often accepted orders larger than the company's immediate production capacity.
This forced the company to increase production and become more market-focused. Clóvis rose through the ranks of the company, becoming national sales manager. Concerned about stagnant inventory, he convinced the board of directors to invest in television advertising in 1983. The first commercial quickly sold out inventory. From then on, the company began to invest continuously in marketing, with slogans that were well-known throughout Brazil.
Internationalization and partnership with Walmart
In 1986, Tramontina opened a wooden utensils factory. That same year, it took a crucial step towards internationalization. It opened an office in the United States (which would become Tramontina USA). The goal was to enter the largest consumer market in the world. The big turning point came in 1989, when it entered Walmart.
The partnership was a success and boosted Tramontina's global expansion, which accompanied the growth of the retail chain. The Brazilian company became one of Walmart's largest suppliers. In 1990, it joined the Costco chain. Being part of these large chains opened doors in many countries.
Family succession and Tramontina's current legacy
In 1991, Ivo and Ruy chose their successors. Clóvis Tramontina took over as CEO, and Eduardo Comazzon (Ruy's son) became vice-president. The new duo replicated their parents' partnership, with Clóvis Tramontina focusing on sales and Eduardo on analytics. The company remained family-owned and privately held. Management remained decentralized, but accelerated its marketing and internationalization. In 2000, a formal marketing department was created. The company faced Chinese competition by increasing its production scale and importing some items. During the Covid-19 pandemic, local production and a focus on homewares resulted in significant growth.
Clóvis Tramontina stepped down as CEO in 2021, after reaching the target of R$10 billion in revenue. Eduardo Comazzon took over, with Marcos Tramontina (Clóvis' son) as vice president. The company remains family-owned. In 2022, it opened a porcelain factory and had revenues of R$10,6 billion. It currently produces more than 22.000 different items. It has 9 industrial units in Brazil, more than 12 employees, and strong presence international with 20 operations abroad and its own stores (T-Stores). Exports represent 25% of revenue, with emphasis on the USA and Germany. The Tramontina brand is known by 97% of Brazilians.
Brazil, a country of workers who struggle to pay a heavy tax burden, yet still stand out, are successful, and generate jobs. Congratulations to the entire Tramontina family.
I agree with you, you have to jump over a lot of big rocks to survive.
Dim, congratulations to the successful and competent businessmen in what they do, but anyone who believes that there are excessive taxes is mistaken, on the contrary, successful Brazilian companies have not received benefits from the government and substantial financing from state banks and mainly from the BNDS.
That's exactly what BNDS is for, to generate development for national companies, whether large or small, and not for a **** and **** government to fill the pockets of its friends. And go learn how to use spell checker.
He said it right, yes, you who have your political bias, where is the government giving you money? Your friends, boy, go find out. The BNDS is making a profit.
Example of resilience and honesty
Congratulations Tramontina 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Super beautiful story. Example for the world.
Examples like this are very difficult to see nowadays. It is very painful to see that humanity has stopped doing its part. It is true that things have changed, but honor, honesty, perseverance and the will to win should be a priority at any time.
This is the time when we Brazilians have to be proud of being Brazilians. Despite all the difficulties imposed by corrupt governments and exorbitant taxes, there is still this resilience of the Brazilians who face the harsh reality of our country. They make great things happen. Congratulations to these great Brazilians. Who did not let the Tramontina dream end! I have always been and still am a great admirer and consumer of Tramontina, for the impeccable quality of its products!👏👏👏👏