Koho is a Finnish

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

ice hockey equipment In ice hockey, players use specialized equipment both to facilitate the play of the game and for protection as this is a sport where injuries are common, therefore, all players are encouraged to protect their bodies from bruises and severe fract ...

owned by Birch Hill Equity Partners through its portfolio company Sport Maska Inc. Koho equipment was made originally by the company Koho-tuote Oy, which was founded in 1964 in

Forssa Forssa is a Cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located almost in the centre of a triangle defined by the three largest major cities in Finland (Helsinki, Turku and Tampere), in the Tavastia Prop ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

by Kari Aro (1935–2003). Since the sale of the Koho company in 1974, the brand has gone through numerous ownership changes. Currently it is owned by the Quebec company Sport Maska, whose portfolio of brands also includes CCM,

Jofa The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) is an Orthodox Jewish organization providing educational services on women's issues, with the aim of expanding "the spiritual, ritual, intellectual, and political opportunities for women within the f ...

Titan Titan most often refers to: * Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn * Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology Titan or Titans may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities Fictional locations * Titan in fiction, fictiona ...

, Canadien, and Heaton.

History

Koho-tuote was purchased in 1974 by

Amer Amer may refer to: Places * Amer (river), a river in the Dutch province of North Brabant * Amer, Girona, a municipality in the province of Girona in Catalonia, Spain * Amber, India (also known as Amer, India), former city of Rajasthan state ** Am ...

, which continued to manufacture Koho products. In 1986, Amer sold its Koho and Canadien brands to

Karhu Karhu (Finnish for 'bear') may refer to: * Karhu (beer), a Finnish beer brand * ''Karhu'' (ship), name of the 1876 barque ''Lalla Rookh (1876 ship), Lalla Rookh'' while under the Finnish flag, 1923/4 to 1926 * Karhu (sports brand), a Finnish sport ...

, which already owned the Titan and

brands. In 1987, Karhu's hockey operations were sold to its partially-owned Canadian arm, Karhu Canada Inc., later renamed the Sports Holdings Corporation. In late 1998, the SHC was acquired by the holding company SLM International, which owned the CCM brand through its subsidiary Sport Maska. Then, in March 1999, SLM was renamed The Hockey Company, reflecting its portfolio of hockey equipment brands. In 2004,

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

purchased The Hockey Company, then a year later, was itself purchased by

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

. During the Reebok and Adidas ownership, all brands except CCM were phased out. In 2017, Adidas sold its hockey operations, which were still consolidated in the subsidiary Sport Maska, to the private equity firm Birch Hill Equity Partners for $110 million."Adidas to sell CCM for US$110M," ''Montreal Gazette'', (28 July 2017), N6. Sport Maska's primary brand remains CCM, though it produces Koho-branded equipment and apparel occasionally.

References

External links

* – a 2022 documentary about Kari Aro and Koho {{sports equipment brands Finnish brands Ice hockey equipment manufacturers Sporting goods manufacturers of Finland