And in the beginning…there was a chicken coop. And a lovely coop it was, with a peregrine falcon as a next door neighbor and located in beautiful North Idaho.
In 1976, Chris Brodin relocated from Chicago to Rathdrum, Idaho, to fish, hunt and, in general, continue to enjoy the outdoors (He was born in Sweden and his love of nature began there). But how to support his fly fishing habit? That remained a mystery until he searched for a wooden frame landing net that met his high standards and came to the conclusion that he would have to build one himself.
And that he did! Soon several of his fly fishing friends requested nets and he decided to try to market them to fly shops. The very first thing to be done was to create a logo and he contacted a local graphic designer, Jeanne Blank, in nearby Coeur d’Alene to take on the job.
It was a wise decision according to Jeanne as within a year they married and formed a 27 year partnership. Although the ensuing years were never smooth, they were always exciting and always interesting. Living in the woods in North Idaho, moving to Montana and falling in love with Yellowstone Park, moving to Western North Carolina. Who could ask for anything more? A move to Costa Rica perhaps?
The move to Costa Rica in 2000 was a difficult decision. The business had grown to a point where they needed more employees and they found that there were few people in Montana who wanted manufacturing jobs. Now what?
After a great deal of research they connected with Montana Fly Company (which was already manufacturing in Costa Rica) and they agreed to help the Brodins with their move. Costa Rica appealed to them as it is an eco-conscious country and employees receive a lot of benefits – unemployment, worker’s compensation, maternity leave, health insurance, etc. Besides, Costa Rica boasts not only excellent salt water fishing but several wonderful trout streams in the mountains!
Brodin Landing Nets’ factory has been operating in Coronado, Costa Rica, for seven years now and their nets remain the premier ones in the industry.
