Our story
Sampo is Finland’s leading brand for matches, dating back to 1933. Our name comes from the epic Finnish poem Kalevala, in which Sampo is the magic mill that produces flour, salt, and gold.
2018
SAMPO celebrated 85 years as a registered brand and relaunched a contemporary rebrand to better represent our heritage while communicating a modern look and feel.
1981
The Finnish match production in Jokela ended and was moved to Sweden.
1972
Svenska Tändsticks AB (Swedish Match) became a partner of both the SAMPO brand and the factory in Jokela.
1933
The first SAMPO matches "Trustivapaat SAMPO-tikut" were manufactured in Tusby, Jokela.
1865
The Swedish engineer Alexander Lagerman created the first automatic match machine, and thus production went from manual to industrial. The success of these matches reached far beyond Jönköping, Sweden, where the factory was located.
1844
Swedish professor Gustav Eric Pasch invented a striking surface on the outside of the matchbox.
1831
The first matches were invented, lit by rubbing the tip against any surface. The danger of spontaneous ignition was high and the match head contained highly toxic components.
