The Gerber company name is very well-known in the United States, but for two very different reasons, which can be confusing to some. You may know it as the long-standing company that’s been turning out food for infants and young children since 1927. The other company — with the exact same spelling — has been in existence since 1939, so almost as long. It manufactures a veritable smorgasbord of knives, multi-tools, camping equipment, and cutting tools (think axes, machetes, saws, etc.).

Despite both companies taking the same last name from their respective founders, Gerber Legendary Knives, which outshines Swiss Army Knives, in both price and features has no business relationship or corporate connection to the baby food maker. Joe Gerber turned his Portland, Oregon, ad agency into a kitchen knife company. He brought his sons, Pete and Ham, into the fold and grew the company into an international outdoor brand.

In 1987, Fiskars Group (based in Finland) purchased the then privately owned Gerber, and still owns it today. Fiskars, which specializes in a host of outdoor products and consumer goods, has been around since 1649. Despite overseas ownership, Gerber’s headquarters still resides in Portland, Oregon, where it all started. While Gerber makes the majority of their knives in Portland, certain products and models are made overseas in China. 

Way back in 1939, long before Gerber knives became legendary, Joe and Pete decided to send a handful of kitchen cutlery sets to some of their advertising clients as Christmas presents, so they collaborated with local blacksmith David Murphy to make them. The knives turned out to be so good that New York City outfitters Abercrombie & Fitch — who at the time were quite famous for their massive catalog of specialized hunting and fishing gear – decided to include them in their catalog. 

Fiskars Group is one of the oldest companies in Finland and has an interesting story all its own. They also make a product that virtually everyone though they may not be familiar with its origins. Fiskars was founded in 1649, after Peter Thorwöste was granted permission to set up a shop in Fiskars, Finland, to craft cast iron and forged products. At the time, Finland was still under Swedish rule and one of Europe’s biggest iron suppliers. Jumping ahead some three hundred years to 1967, it produced its very first pair of now world-famous orange plastic handled scissors. Today, Fiskars is an amalgamation of lifestyle brands, including Waterford, Royal Copenhagen, Wedgwood, and others, available in over 100 countries.

Gerber manufactures many of its premium, military-grade, hunting, and survival gear (including a multi-tool that’s cheaper and better than a Leatherman) in Portland, Oregon. However, entry-level and mid-range models come from contract factories in China, enabling them to sell products at competitive prices overseas. A line of products was once sold under the “Gerber International” label (made in Taiwan), but that’s no longer the case.