100 years of history
Professional woodworking decade after decade, generation after generation.
Nowadays Korvenranta products are used all over the globe, but we owe everything to our humble beginnings, the willpower of our grandfather and the dedication of our family. We are focused on continuous development and uncompromising work from one decade to another and from one generation to the next. One hundred years come with at least one hundred stories - we have gathered some on this page. Enjoy!
1919
Artturi Korvenranta (b. 1898) started to manufacture doors and window frames in the workshop he built in Kärkölä in Järvelä. He had already gained experience building houses with his brothers. The plot of land, named Mansikka-Aho (transl. Strawberry Field), was put to even more use as Artturi bought and moved a log house there from Terijoki. The house later became the Korvenranta family home.
1923
In 1923 the workshop was completed, as well as products including, among other things, three bus bodies built on a Ford model TT chassis. The buses had seats upholstered in buffalo leather and lace curtains sewn by Artturi’s wife, Lempi Korvenranta (b. 1899). Another workshop was built on the site to manufacture metal parts for baskets and for the components of baling machines.
1928
In the 1920s, the wooden Korvenranta factory building burned to the ground on two occasions. In 1928, a brick building was built after the factory was destroyed for the second time. The year 1928 is also significant because, according to many sources, it appears that this is the year the company was founded. It is possible that this is when the company was officially registered.
1939
In the 1930s, the factory continued to produce mainly windows, doors, furniture and baling machines. When the Winter War began, both Korvenranta’s men and trucks left for the front, and the women and younger people continued the production. They manufactured wooden shoes for prisoners of war, among other things. At the end of the war, the rebuilding began, which required Korvenranta products.
1951
Korvenranta supplied timber to the legendary Vuoristorata rollercoaster at the Linnanmäki Amusement Park. The trees were carefully selected from the nearby forests and cut to longer lengths than usual. The posts, planks, and battens were tailored to exact dimensions. They were shipped from Järvelä to Helsinki in daily deliveries, always according to the order of installation for each piece.
1967
Production in the 1960s focused on furniture subcontracting and shop furnishings. Korvenranta also started to do restaurant refurbishments for Kantaravintolat Oy restaurants all over Finland, starting with Järvelä’s own Kantakrouvi bar. Even the Korvenranta family holidays were scheduled and planned so that they could visit the locations and take measurements during the trips.
1978
In the 1970s, the Korvenranta business expanded with various types of co-operation. The Korvenranta factory produced, among other things, furniture components for their partner Martela and sofa frames for Peem Oy, which was founded by Lempi Korvenranta’s brother, Pentti Mäkelä, with whom close cooperation had already begun in the 1960s.
1985
In the 1980s Korvenranta started manufacturing hotel furniture for Cumulus chain hotels through Sotka Oy. In 1985 they also delivered hotel furniture to Mongolia. In the same year, the company was transformed into a Limited Company, with shareholders and board members including Risto (b. 1926) and Seija (b. 1933), as well as the company’s third generation: Kari, Petri, Arto, Jyrki, Pirjo and Jarkko.
1993
The first computer-controlled CNC workstation was installed in 1990. This acquisition enabled Korvenranta to compete on price and the company survived the recession without redundancies or layoffs. In the 1990s, important cooperation began with Avarte Oy and Yrjö Kukkapuro. Alnus furniture made from Kukkapuro’s alder wood attracted a lot of global attention.
2000
Korvenranta designed and produced the office furniture for Koskisen Oy’s new headquarters. This extensive cooperation had its origins in joint projects that had been carried out over the previous decade. Thanks to this cooperation, Korvenranta’s CNC machines have successfully raised the processing quality of plywood for export.
2000 - Now
Today, Korvenranta does contract manufacturing of furniture components, project furniture, and CNC machining. All the Korvenranta siblings are involved in the company – now supported by a fourth generation. Some of the most significant projects in recent years have included retail chain interiors and complete furnishings for care rooms.
