Eyolf origin story isn’t one of constant success. Nothing happened overnight or with a group of friends who thought it would be cool to make some gear.
Nope. Instead, it started with the need to survive, opportunity, hard work, and dedication.
From day one, it was clear that we would stand for providing great service, education, and knowledge. We believe that gear can be made better, more intelligent, and with passion.
Eyolf origin story, of course, starts with Martine and myself. We moved from the Netherlands to Canada in 2001 and almost had to go home. However with help from family and a job offer to work on the CN Tower. We were able to stay and survive.
As our business grew steadily, we were able to move into a small unit and work on our manufacturing capabilities. Every year, when we had a bit of money left, we would invest in a new machine. Over time, this meant more products.
I should mention that I was already involved in making fall protection equipment before we came to Canada, so the experience was there.
Initially, it was mainly rope access equipment with rescue kits. As time passed, we entered the adventure market and tried to do more in the recreational industry. The timing for a recreational line wasn’t right. MEC even told us in 2014 that they had no interest in a Canadian brand that makes climbing gear! How rude…
In 2017, it was time to move again, so we took the risk of purchasing land. We could sell our unit to Jermey, our neighbour, rent it back and buy the land. We got loans from the bank, a family friend, and my old boss from the Netherlands. It was time to start building our new location. We did this ourselves, with help from friends and rope access techs. Week in and week out, for almost a year.
It must be clear that we are all in and keep building up our brand.
Our story isn’t about to end. We still have to many dreams we like to work towards. So watch out for a full line of arborist and climbing gear. Not to forget our Pythagoras Tripod and so much more.